Title: A Mentor for Joanie Part 9/?

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Now that Joanie feels something for Leo...does he feel something for her?

Note: I don't want to get this romance over too fast, so be calm. :) Also, did anyone else notice I named Lana after the bitch in The Princess Diaries? You may not cause I'm sure I'm the only idiot who reads ëem.

Dedication: To Erin, for being my only fan. I've never had a fan before! And Erin gives great support and awesome feedback. I'm honored, really. Also this is to the Joanie in everybody. : )

A Mentor for Joanie Part 9: ...There's Fire

Okay I'm feeling depressed damn it. I mean after comparing ones self to Lana anybody would feel a bit...down.

So after walking Kennedy around I got to the only place that lets me bring my dog inside. Carmine's Ice Cream Parlor. They all love Kennedy and for some miracle Kennedy always behaves wonderfully. Why doesn't he act like that at home?

I order my favorite ice cream in the world: Mint Chocolate Chip and I walk to my favorite spot in this near by park to sit down. Kennedy sits next to me while I eat slowly, watching the kids play in the sandbox next to me.

I'm in the middle of contemplating the meaning of lifeóI swear I wasówhen suddenly someone sits down next to me. I recognize the designer outfit and the wavy black hair immediately.

"Who told you I was here?" I ask.

"No one," Lori answers. "I guessed when you weren't at home."

I sigh and sit up straight. "What are you doing out here, Lori?"

"I thought you needed a best friend," Lori shrugs. "I mean after that phone call this morning...I caught the red eye and flew out, okay?"

"Yeah..." I mutter. To tell the truth I was having enough problems with just one best friend. "How'd you manage to get away from the campaign?"
"I just told your dad I was coming out to see you," Lori says. "He said I deserved a day off and I could just fly back when you come up tomorrow for the primary. It's a big vote, Joanie. If we push Chittick out of the way we have a shot, Joan, a real shot."

"You think it'll happen?" I ask.

"I hope it does," Lori sighs. "God Joanie, if it doesn't...I don't know what I'll do. This is what I did after college, Joanie. I didn't get a sucky job at a bookstore like every body else. I got to work on a national campaign as the media director and a speech writer. I mean...it can't get much better. But if he wins, god Joanie...he's gotta win. If he doesn't...I just don't know what I'll do."

"I don't think anybody will," I admit. "You know I'm waiting for law school to end and I know Dad'll offer me a job."

"Yeah I think he will," Lori agrees. "You gonna take it?"
"I dunno," I sigh. "I don't want it to be like I was hired cause I'm his daughter."

"Hell Joan, the Kennedy's did it."

"I know...Bartlet told me that if I get hired I'll get hired because I'm the best one for the job," I say.

"He's a smart guy. You should listen to him."

"Yeah...but when you got offered the job didn't you even think about that?"

"No," Lori says quickly. "You know me Joan I have the tendency to jump head first in to things. I saw the opportunity of my career...and I took it. I'm finishing my masters through the mail but you know...I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Yeah," I sigh. "Hey wanna catch a flick? I don't exactly want to go home...ever."

"Did something else happen in the hour I was in the air?" Lori asks.

"Well Leo came out of his room like nothing had happened and well...I started noticing something about him."

"Like..."

"Like that he's totally hot!" I lay back on the ground in frustration and Lori follows in suit, black hair fanning out with my brown locks. I'm having flash backs to sitting in my backyard in DC and then Hartford. My family didn't always live in Hartford, we only moved there after we bought the house from my grandmother. Before that all three families lived in DC. We would all hang out together in the yards and stuff, and when we got older Lori and I would lay in the yard staring at the clouds and figuring out which one looked more like JFK.

See, totally not a normal childhood.

"You mean you didn't notice it before?" Lori asks.

"No but you put it into my head last night," I glare at her.

"Good."
"Good?"

"Now you can finally come to the realization that you and Leo should be together."

"Lori, are you hearing yourself?" I ask. "I mean what in the world makes you think Leo and I are supposed to be together?"

"C'mon Joanie," Lori rolls her eyes. "You banter, you know each other's likes and dislikes. The only person who knows you better than Leo is me...and no offense hon, but I don't swing that way."

I smile and turn to Lori whose smiling back.

"Thanks Lor," I whisper.

"Hey, what are friends for," Lori shrugs. She sits up and I follow. "You know what you should do? To end all this?"
"What?" I raise an eyebrow. I love Lori but sometimes her schemes are a little hair brained.

"You should just kiss him."

Okay did I say a little? How bout VERY.

"WHAT?"
"Just go home, kiss him and get it over with," Lori explains like it's an algebra problem. I never liked Math. "If you don't feel anything...than forget it all. But in the slight chance you doó

"Very slight."

"Then you can start the whole relationship," Lori finishes, grinning at the genius of her plan. The genius I think is lacking.

"That's absolutely the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"But you're going to do it anyway."

"Yeah...you know why?"

"Cause I'm always right?"

"Cause I'm insane and I don't see how things could get any worse," I smile a little. "All right...I'll do this. Just out of curiosity. But first I want you to go to the airport and pick up two tickets on the red eye for Hartford."

"Why?"

"We're leaving early. I'll go back and pack and meet you at the airport at the next available flight," I say, standing up. "Oh and make sure you get a place for Kennedy."

"Sure thing, first class or coach?" Lori asks and strikes her cocky pose, hand on hip.

"You're a riot."

"I know."

Lori stands and grins at me and it really is great to have another best friend. Like Bartlet said, its great to have a best friend as a coworker cause they're not afraid to kick you in the ass sometimes. I'm sure he actually used gentler phraseology, but you get the point.

And maybe later on Lori and I will be coworkers. Yeah...I know...maybe I will end up working for Daddy. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

I hug Lori good bye and I walk away with Kennedy back towards the apartment, determined to sort things out now. Can you believe how worked up I got over Lana? I realize now that I shouldn't have let petty jealousy get in the way of the friendship Leo and I have. And hell, if it's meant to be something else than it's meant to be. If it's not...it's not the end of the world. My dad doesn't need grand children anyway.

On the way back I stop for another cone of mint chocolate chip. What can I say? It's an addiction. I wonder if they have an IA, Ice cream anonymous. I mean when you think about it you can get addicted to just about anything can't you? Sex, drugs, booze, ice cream...the Internet. Hey you would not believe how addicting the world of the net is. I swear I got hooked on this thing called Yahoo groups...anyway that's a totally different story.

You'd think I would have better things to think about on my way home to kiss my potential boyfriend and present best friend. To tell you the truth I think I was trying to get my mind off the whole thing.

So anyway, by the time I get to the door of my apartment I contemplating if you can get addicted to late night talk showsóI mean some of them are just so annoyingóI almost forgot about my earlier heartache.

Emphasis on almost.

I open the door and walk into the blue room and flop down on the gold couch, trying to suppress memories about Lana sleeping there last night.

Leo isn't in plan sight but I think I hear the shower running. I glance at the TV that he left on to CNN. I glance at my watch. Hmm...talk back live hour; makes sense, its Leo's favorite show next to those old re-runs of Frasier.

His laptop is open on the coffee table and he must have just gotten off line. His AOL name is IvyLeagueL. I remembering asking him what the hell that was supposed to mean and he said: Ivy League Liberal. Ha ha ha, how very Leo-ish.

In case you were wondering mine is Winger. I thought it was cute but Leo thought it was dumb. If I remember correctly for revenge I signed him up for Jehovah's witness's mailing list.

Lori's is HollywoodDarlin, which I thought was adorable but Leo reminded Lori she had never lived in Hollywood let alone was she a darling. Lori signed him up for the right wing mailing list.

Anyway, one of Leo's favorite past times, and mine too I must admit, is to sign on to CNN.com and make the conservatives look stupid. We usually manage to get into heated fights with any republican in the room over any number of issues. One time it was the second amendment...I thought Leo was going to declare war on the chat room that day. He quickly learned that talking to any republican was like banging your head against a brick wall and he started yelling at the computer, like that would solve the conservative stupidity that ruled the chat room that day. I made him shut off the computer cause he was scaring Kennedy.

I close the lid to the laptop and it clicks softly as I hear the shower stop from Leo's bedroom. I shuffle quickly across the floor of the blue room to my bedroom and close the door. A second late I hear the door open to Leo's bedroom and feet walk past into the living room/kitchen area. I sigh and walk to my closet where I shoved my suitcase yesterday in my frenzied anger with Leo. I hadn't even unpacked and I wasn't in the mood to do it now. I dumped the contents of my suitcase on to my bedroom flooróLeo would have a fitóand started packing clean clothes.

After I shoved my clothes into my suitcaseóI wrinkled every blouseóI walked calmly out to the living room. Leo was sitting in front of the TV watching CNN intently. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only jeans and I swear my heart skipped a beat.

Joan Claudia Lyman, get a grip!

He was totally glued to the set and I doubt he would have heard be except I dropped my suitcase, loudly, and on purpose.

Leo looked up with a snap of his head, eyes wide. He didn't have his glasses on and I could once again see how crystal his eyes were.

GET A GRIP JOANIE!

"Joanie...why do you have a suitcase?" Leo asks, getting up and I can hear panic in his voice. "Oh god you're not moving out are you?"

"No," I say simply. "I'm going to Hartford early. Lori's getting my ticket."

"Lori's here?"

"She flew in...she thought I needed a friend," I say slowly.

"I'm your friend Joanie, you can still talk to me," He sounds almost pleading. "I don't want you to not be able to talk to me."

"I just need a little while to think, Leo," I sigh.

It's true I do. For an Ivy League student and supposed genius I don't do much thinking.

"You could have told me you were leaving," he says, a little annoyed now.

"I didn't want you to come with me."

I swear the look he gives me breaks my heart. I mean he looks devastated that I could thin about traveling without him.

"Well..." he gulps a shocked and hurt look still on his face. Oh god I feel so horrible! "I'll fly in tomorrow. I guess I'll just see you then."

He starts tot walk towards his room and I feel torn.

"Leo."

He turns around.

Okay this is it; I won't ever get another time. It would be too weird to kiss him in Hartford when I'm staying at my parent's place. I had picked up the suitcase but now I drop it again and I walk up to him.

He looks at me while I stand in front of him, unmoving. He has a questionable look on his face and it makes me love his face even more. Like how his one eyebrow raises when he thinks you're doing something stupid.

Which...you know...I'm about to do.

God I never realized what a great chest he has either, I've never seen him work out before in his lifeówith Leo it's books and politics and that's itóbut somehow he managed to get toned.

I have to fight the urge to reach out and lay my hands on his chest so instead I slowly reach up and brush my hands around his next, brushing the back of his hair.

Whether out of instinct or want Leo's arms move to my waist and I feel myself moving forward, closer to him. I move one of my hands from the back of his head to his check and gently trace his jaw line. I never realized how chiseled he was. Leo never had the hunk look; he was the dork lawyer. But you know what? I loved him that way.

I love him that way.

God...I just said love didn't I? Okay Joanie, don't panic, breath.

The only problem is that Leo's tightening his grip around my waist and I suddenly find it difficult to inhale.

Oh well...I've come this far...why not go all the way?

I make the distance between us disappear and Ióthanks Loriófinally kiss Leo.

Oh my god.

I can't explain the feeling that just ran through my body.

Okay I think I can pretty much throw the ëno feelings' theory out the window.

The kiss is incredible. I mean, after lacking human touch for longer then I can stand, this kiss is phenomenal. Maybe its Leo, maybe its cause nobody's ever kissed me like this, certainly not Kevin. I don't know what it is, but I know that it's a good thing Leo's arms were wrapped around me so tight or I definitely would have fallen down.

The kiss isn't shallow, or timid, certainly not standard first kiss. It's deep and passionate without being lustful. I swear I may faint.

Finally Leo lets me go and I remove my hands from around his neck and step back, trying to no avail to remember how to breath. No luck what so ever.

I just kissed Leo; best friends Leo, room mate Leo.

Oh god what have I done?

I know I'm going to regret this later, but I turn around, grab my suitcase and run out the door.

"Joanie!"

Leo calls after me but I ignore him. I slam the door and leap into the elevator. Thank god its empty.

As the silver elevator doors slide shut I crumple to the ground.

What have I done? I panicked, I kissed someone I love, I felt something I had never felt before and I panicked.

I feel the tears run down my face and I make no effort to wipe them away.

I ran from Leo, I ran.

I am such a f***ing idiot.

TBC