Title: A Mentor for Joanie 5/?

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Joanie at Harvard

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in The West Wing. However, Joanie, Leo, Lori and the rest of the kiddies are all mine.

Note: I just want apologize again to anyone who was upset that I went against a Jewish tradition to not name a child after someone who is still alive. Joanie and Noah are free and clear and even Lori is since she's named after Deloris Landingham. The only character in this story that goes against that belief is Josiah Lyman, and he's not even in this part. Once again, I apologize.

A Mentor for Joanie Part 5: Harvard Yard

"Honey I'm home!" I call when I burst in the apartment door. I immediately drop all my luggage inside, because I know "honey" is about to come tearing towards me.

Sure enough a big albino husky comes pounding across the hard wood floor of my living room and launches himself on me. I fall backwards, although I try to prevent it, and land on my hard wood floor, the dog above me.

I look up past my puppy's face óhe really is still a puppyóat Leo, standing in the doorway, shaking his head. I keep forgetting he lives here too.

"Damn it Joanie, that dog..."

"Oh be nice, Leo," I say, petting the puppy's face and ruffling his fur. "Take it easy on Kennedy."

"I still can't believe you named him that."

Yes I did...I'm a lost cause, okay?

"Kennedy's a good boy," I say to the puppy and start to get up. The dog's already past my knees in height.

"If he tore up my room like last time we went away I swear to god I'll find a shot gun," Leo growls as he walks past me and Kennedy towards his room.

"He's in a bad mood," I say to Kennedy, who looks up with me, head cocked to one side. "Besides he couldn't find a shot gun If he tried...he's a Democrat."

Leo didn't want a dog...and I definitely did. When we got our own apartment and found out they allowed pets I immediately got excited. I told Leo right after we moved in we we're going to the pet store. He didn't exactly turn cartwheels over it. It took a great deal of persuading and nagging, in which I put my years of debating skills to use.

I won in the end...true it took a great deal of black mail...but I won. And I picked out Kennedy. He used to be such a tiny puppy but then, much to Leo's chagrin, he start to grow...fast. And now he can easily put his head on top of my kitchen table. Leoóbeing the neat freak he isóconstantly complains of the mess Kennedy makes and having to walk him. But deep down I think Leo likes Kennedy. They understand each other. I learned some things about Leo a while back; the things he complains about the most are things he cares about the most. So the more he gripes I know the more he cares.

"Damn it!"

Leo's voice is piercing. I look up from where I'm with Kennedy in the living room and glance at the dog, who has a questionable look on his face.

"Wonder what's his problem now?" I ask.

I don't need to wait long because Leo storms in and points at Kennedy, he's obviously pissed.

"That mutt ate my pillow!"

I glance at Kennedy, who whines and stuffs his head in my lap. He knows when he's getting yelled at...especially when its Leo doing the yelling. They established that the first day when I brought him home and he peed in Leo's closet.

"Don't call him that, he's a purebred."

"Joanie, there's feathers all over my room! It looks like twenty chickens exploded."

I start laughing, can't help it. Leo only gets madder. "Joanie, I'm serious!"

"Oh Leo, chill out, I'll pay for the damn pillow."

"Fine," he huffs.

"What do you want for lunch?" I ask, getting up from the couch and walking towards the kitchen. "Pizza or Chinese?"

"How bout Mexican?"

"No."

"But Joanie we always get Chinese or Pizza," he complains, following me into the kitchen. "It's high time you expanded your horizons."

"My horizons are plenty expanded, thank you very much," I sneer and grab the phone before he can.

"Joanie, come on, how about Thai?"

"No."

"You are so stubborn," he comments.

"I know."

"Okay how about sandwiches from that deli down the street?" he asks. I pause and he snatches the phone from my hand, taking advantage of the moment. Bastard.

"Leo," I whine.

"C'mon Joanie..." he smiles and says. "You can have a grilled chicken with lettuce bacon and tomato."

Damn...he knows me too well...that's my favorite sandwich. I pout for a minute after before finally conceding.

"Fine," I mutter. "Order you pain in the ass."

Leo grins in triumph before walking towards the living room and punching in the number of the deli. I sigh and skip my way back to the living room.

I did most of the decorating, and Leo didn't object. He had only one thing to say: nothing too girlie. So I made sure to keep things unisex. The living room is done mostly in shades of blue, with a gold couchóyes I admit, tacky, but I like it. Leo immediately deemed it "the Blue Room" and once I took over the kitchen he took to calling in the mess...cause after I cook that's usually what it is...a very big mess that Leo picks up. My room is painted pale purple with moons and stars all over it. Leo's room is remarkably clean for a guy's room, the walls still white; they emphasize Leo's cleanly habits.

Right now I'm stretched out on my gold gaudy couch while Leo talks into the phone. Then I hear some muffles from next door followed by some loud bangs.

"What the hell?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Kennedy hears it too and starts barking at the wall.

"Joanie would you shut that dog up?" Leo barks from the kitchenówhere he's wandered with the phone.

"Just a second," I call and get up from the couch. I walk out the front door and shut it on Kennedy, who wanted to see as much as I did what was going on. In the hallway are two girls and one guy, who are fighting over a couch that seems to be wedged in to the doorway. I remember having similar troubles when Leo and I were moving in.

"Hi, can I help you?" I ask, walking up to them.

"Uh...yeah, it's kinda stuck," the guy says, scratching his head at the sofa.

"Well can I suggest something?" I ask.

"Go ahead."

"The door's stopping it, even though it's open. Try taking the door off the hinges. After the couch is in you can put the door back on. I have the tools to do it." I say, remembering how Leo and I eventually figured out our small problemóafter calling my parents twelve times.

"Wow thanks," one girl says. She has blonde hair and is wearing an outfit not exactly dress code material. Me? Very covered, I must admit. Harvard tee shirt and blue jeans. "I'm Annie. This is my boyfriend Chris and my friend Lana. Chris and I are moving in."

Chris looks like he's a jock...I hate jocks. He's well built with sandy colored hair. Lana has black hair and she looks like she may be oriental.

"I'm Joanie Lyman, I live next door," I say, smiling kindly. "Just a second. LEO!" I yell back down the hall.

"What?" He yells, irritable.

"Come out, someone's moving in next door."

Leo stumbles out of the apartment a second later, locking Kennedy in. Poor puppy, he wants to come out and say hi.

"This is Leo Seaborn," I say when Leo walks up. "Leo these are our new neighbors, Chris and Annie and their friend Lana."

"Nice to meet you," he said and then looked at the wedged sofa. "You know, if you take the door off that should slide right through."

"Yeah, Joanie already told us," Lana smiles.

"We had similar problems when we moved in last month," he shrugs. "You guys are taking Mrs. Apple's old place?"

"Yeah, why?" Chris asks.

"It's just that some people say she died in there and her ghost...

I don't let him finish, I elbow him in the ribs and he stops.

"Ignore him," I grumble, shooting a look at Leo. "He likes to scare people."

"Sorry," Leo mutters.

"That's okay, I could use a good ghost story," Lana laughs in a flirty way.

Flirty, that's right, flirty. I don't know if I'm going to like Lana very much.

"Not me, I'd be too scared," Annie giggles. She looks at Leo and I before asking, "So how long have you two been together?"

I pause before laughing very uncomfortably. "Uh...we're not...that is...he's not my boyfriend. He's just a...friend."

"We go to school together and grew up together, so you know..." Leo trails off and I think he's ears are turning pink. It's actually kind of cute.

"Really? Where do you guys go to school?" Annie asks.

"Harvard Law," I say. I'm only wearing a tee shirt with HARVARD written in big black letters. "What about you guys?"

"Brown," Chris says, clearing his throat, I guess he's a little sheepish of saying he goes to Brown in front of Harvard Law students. I try very hard to suppress a smile.

"You know I have to tell you your names sound familiar," Lana frowns.

"Well my father writes speeches and he's helping Joanie's father run for president," Leo shrugs. See to us...no big deal.

"You father's Joshua Lyman?" Chris gapes. Wow turns out jocks do know something.

"Yeah," I shrug. I hear suddenly a loud whine followed by a bang that tells me Kennedy is slamming against the door. "Hey Leo, I better go back before Kennedy tears a hole in the floor."

"Okay, I'll be right there," he says, shifting his eyes towards Lana. Oh for god's sake.

I wave a meek good bye to Annie, Chris and Lanaówho's giggling and batting her eyes at Leo.

Gag me with a spoon.

I walk back to the apartment to find Kennedy waiting patiently for me just inside the door. I bend down and pet him.

"Good boy, you're the only man I'll ever need in my life," I sigh. "How bout a milk bone?"

Kennedy's tail starts wagging at the words of his favorite treat so I have no choice but to trudge to the kitchen and get him one. Kennedy takes it and carries the treat in to Leo's room, which is where he always decides to eat his treats, leaving nice little bits between Leo's bed sheets. Ordinarily I would close the door so this doesn't happen, but after he and Lana almost made me loose my lunch; I figure its proper retribution.

Speaking of lunch...when is it going to get here? I want my sandwich, damn it.

I'm on the verge of having a crying fit over a sandwichóoh god, I must be waiting for my periodówhen Leo walks in, all smiles.

Jerk.

"You look obnoxiously happy," I grunt.

"I got her phone number," he says in a sing song voice.

"Oh god," I sick out my tongue.

"Oh come on, Joanie, you've been telling me for months how I have to start playing the field again."

That's true...I have been. Ever since Leo broke up with this librarian type named Daisyóick, ick, ickóhe hasn't been out much.

"Yeah but not with Miss. Betty Boop from next door!"

"Betty Boop," Leo laughs.

"She was so batting her eyes at you, Leo," I snort.

"Was not."

"She was! If she had been batting them any faster she would have become a strobe light!"

"Joanie, come off it."

"Plus she dressed like Brittany Spears."

"Who?"

"Brittany Spears," I shout. "She was this really slutty cheer leader-esque singer who was popular around when we were born."

"You thought she looked slutty?" Leo frowns.

"Well her neckline was a little low," I complain.

"Not everyone likes to dress like a nun, Joanie."

"Or a Harlem, Leo."

Before I can argue this any further the doorbell rings.

"That's lunch," I say. "You're paying."

"I'm what?"

"You're paying cause I had to look at you and Lana-Spears-wannabe exchange goo-goo eyes!"

"Fine," Leo mumbles and opens the door. Poor deli man kinda picked up that Leo was annoyed cause he took his money and ran without complaining about the tip. Leo sat down at the kitchen table and took out his sandwich and tossed me mind. Rather roughish, I must add.

I ate lunch and immediately found an excuse to rid myself for the rest of the day. I went to Barnes and Noble. I swear, if you locked me in there for a year I'd be content with my surroundings. CoffeeóI'm an addictóand more books than even I could ever hope to read.

I walked in late and Leo was on the phone. At first I thought bitterly that it was Lana the super slut but was relieved to find it was Noah.

"You want to talk to her?" Leo asked him. "Okay, just a sec. Joanie, it's your brother."

"Hello," I say into the phone, throwing my B&N bag on the couch next to a sleeping Kennedy.

"Joanie, I'm your brother and I'm smarter than you are, so listen to me."

I hate him. He's right, but I hate him. Noah is smarter than I am, I mean, we're twins and I'm still in law school and he's got a Ph.D.! But still, I am older by a minute the pain in the ass. Noah always was the voice of reason. He never was a musketeer like Leo and Lori and I because he was always away. He went to a different school then Leo and Lori and I. He was smarter, I mean hell, I'm smart, but he's just a little more than me. I mean he got a damn 1560 on the SAT's for crying out load. Me? A reasonable 1510, I told you I'm smart.

"What is it, Noah?" I sigh.

"Stop bugging Leo about Lana."

"He told you about that?" I shout and glare at Leo who glances out the window at the opportune time.

"Yes, now stop being annoying."

"Well you know me, Noah, its just so hard," I grumble sarcastically.

"Joanie," Noah says in his warning tone. "Just be a good friend okay? Stop acting like the jilted girlfriend."

What?

"What?"

"You know what I mean, Joanie."

"No I obviously don't."

"Listen, you leave tomorrow for Notre Dame, do you really want to be pissed at Leo when you leave?"

"No," I sigh.

"Good, now give him back the phone."

"Yes dad."

I hand the phone back to Leo who exchanges brief words with Noah before hanging up.

"I'm sorry," I sigh after he hangs up.

"So am I," Leo admits, shuffling his feet. "Hey, I bought popcorn, you want to watch a movie?"

"What movie?" I ask, a grin spreading across my face.

Leo knows exactly what I'm talking about and sighs, "Oh fine, put it in."

"Yea!" I run off towards the TV, Kennedy following me. I took out The American President and shoved it in the DVD. I love this movie; it's my favorite of all time. Usually I'm not a classics movie person, but my mom showed it to me once and now I'm hooked. I have the whole movie memorized...and so does Leo...cause I make him watch it all the time.

Leo comes back to the couch and hands me a bowl of popcorn, which I have to hold out of reach of Kennedy.

We watch the whole movie, Leo threatens to fall asleep at some moments and I elbow him in the ribs when there's even the slight indications he may be nodding off. I'm mean, I know.

I go to bed late, after Leo makes dinner, which was pasta. I can't cook; I'd burn down the house. Leo's banned me from touching the stove. Honestly, I'm not five anymore.

Unfortunately I can't sleep now. I want too...but I just can't. Why? Because it seems our new neighbors really wanted to test out their new bed. Ugh...I can't believe I have to lie here and listen to it. It's bad enough this only reminds me of my lack of a boyfriend, but to listen to it? It's cruel and unusual torture.

Kennedy seems to share my thought, his head is buried in my pillows and he's whining.

"Ugh, that's it," I complain and get up off my bed, grabbing my blanket and my pillow. I refuse to listen to that. I mean at first I thought it couldn't go on for very long. I was wrong, very wrong. And the mental images are something I really don't need.

"LEO!" I yell and start banging on his door. "Leo, let me in!"

"What the hell, Joanie!" Leo opens the door and I can tell he's pissed. He's in a pair of blue boxers and a Harvard tee shirt. I'm in a very long New York Mets nightshirt but its not like Leo hasn't seen me in my pajamas since I was two.

"What do you want?" He asks, rolling his eyes.

"Can I sleep in your room?" I ask, pouting.

"WHAT? No! Why?"

"Because I just realized my bedroom wall attaches to the neighbors and where they must have put their headboard..."

"Okay, stop, enough information."

"C'mon, Leo, just let me sleep with you? Please, please?" I beg.

"What about the couch?" He asks.

"Too short, I have long legs, Leo."

Which are clearly visible because of my choice in pajamas.

"Ugh, fine, I'll sleep on the floor," Leo says and I walk in to his room.

"No Leo, I will."

"No I will."

"I refuse to make you sleep on the floor."

"Christ Joanie!" Leo yells and throws his hands up ion there. "Fine we'll both sleep in the bed."

"Fine," I say. It's not like we haven't done it before...like on those trips to the shore with our families when Lori, Noah, Leo and I would all share a room.

I flop down on Leo's bed and pull my blankets over me. Leo gets in next to me and Kennedy jumps on top.

"Oh no, get off!" Leo yells at the dog.

"He has to sleep with me or he'll whine all night," I say.

"Fine," Leo grumbles and Kennedy rests his head on Leo's legs. "Oh great."

I laugh and rest my own head on my pillow. Tomorrow I have to leave for Notre Dame, so finally I'll get to talk to Josiah Bartlet. I wonder what we'll talk about.