"KD is in a meeting with Senator O'Connor and Josh. They're talking about
the legislative agenda. Probably talking about why KD wanted six extra months
for the medical research bill. Six months that are almost up and he wants to
know what she's done to it." Toby replied casually.

"You let her come in today??" Leo snapped. Toby looked his boss in the
eye as he got to his feet.

"I wasn't going to be your messenger, Leo. Next time, you try to be the
one to keep her cooped up in a house all day long while she's trying to deal
with this crap." He retorted heatedly. Leo stood in his stance, a little
bewildered.

"You're absolutely right. No way in hell I'd ever do a fool thing like
that." He muttered as he walked out of Toby's office and headed for the mural
room. Toby chuckled and sat back down.

"Didn't think so. Ginger!" He called. Ginger stood up and slowly walked
into the room. "Ginger, do I have anything to deliver to Josh or KD?" Toby
asked as he looked at her.

"No, I don't think so." She said slowly. Toby nodded, scribbled something
on his note pad, tore the paper off, folded it up and handed it to her.

"Take that to KD and uh, don't feel like you have to hurry back." He said
as he looked back at his work.

"Toby, I know what you're doing." Ginger said, a small smile on her lips.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Toby said absentmindedly as
he grabbed his notes and began to read again.

"Who told you about David?" She asked. Toby shrugged.

"The President may have mentioned an . . . incident when I spoke to him."
He conceded.

"Thank you, Toby." Ginger said softly.

"No idea whatsoever." Toby insisted. Ginger chuckled and moved down the
hallway towards the other bullpen. She came to KD's office and found David's
desk empty, clean off the top. She frowned and leaned in to see KD reading a
very thin report. KD looked up and smiled weakly.

"He left. Said he had someone to talk to." She said softly. As it dawned
on Ginger what KD was saying, she smiled and nodded.

"Toby sent me to give this to you. That's all." She said innocently as
she tossed the folded note on to KD's desk. KD laughed and nodded as she
reached forward to pick it up.

"Sure. Right." She cooed as she unfolded the note and read the words.
Ginger noticed the tears coming to KD's eyes as she closed the door. She
slipped back to her desk where she saw Toby staring at the phone. It rang, as
if pressured under his gaze, and he snatched it up quickly. Ginger smiled as
she saw his face soften and she moved to close the door for him. All she
could do now was wait for her own phone to ring.

David fidgeted as he leaned against the pillar. Abe Lincoln never looked
so big as he did today. The sky was a dark blue, as if the night was
threatening to take over, but the sun wasn't quite ready to relent. What kind
of night was such a night as this, he wondered? He heard a scuffle at the
bottom of the steps and turned to see his father lighting a cigarette.

"Thought you quit." He said quietly. Nathan looked up at him and then
shook his head.

"Never. Don't put so much stock in those stupid doctors." He exclaimed
before inhaling slowly. David shook his head. If Nathan wanted to kill
himself slowly and painfully, who was he to stop the guy?

"What do you want?" David asked after a moment of silence passed between
them. Nathan scoffed.

"You called me here. Not the other way around." He reminded the younger
man. David sighed.

"I called you here because you walked into my office and embarrassed me
in front of my co-workers. I assume you did that for a reason. What is that
reason?" David asked more directly.

"You watch how you talk to me, boy." Nathan exclaimed harshly as he
climbed the steps to meet his son.

"I am, sir." David retorted sharply. Nathan's eyes narrowed. "What the
hell are you doing here anyway?"

"Why is it so wrong for me to want to visit my son?" Nathan asked
sharply. "I shouldn't have to spend my vacation arguing with my own son. And
what the hell did you tell those people about me? They were damn ready to
give me the evil eye." Nathan snapped.

"I told them the truth, all the truths that you've ever given me to tell.
Dad, you said once that you didn't want anything to do with me until I got my
life together. Now, all you seem to want to do is tear my life apart. What do
you want from me?" David exclaimed. Nathan paused, a little surprised by the
outburst from his son. Never had David been so honest with his father, and in
David's eyes, what he had said was not even close to enough.

"David, I may not have been the best father to you, but by God, I have
always done my best. And what do I get in return? Nothing but disrespect!" He
exclaimed angrily.

"You get what you give!" David retorted, moving within an inch of his
father's face. "You have given me nothing but pain as long as I can remember,
and you want me to give you respect? Take your respect and eat it!" He added
before attempting to move away, but Nathan's steel grip grabbed his arm and
pulled him back.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Nathan snapped as he pulled
David back. The young man wrenched away from his father. Both sets of eyes
met each other, both eyes fiery with emotion.

"Anywhere but here." David hissed. Nathan moved to slap his son and was
shocked when a hand caught his wrist. "Not anymore." David added as he pushed
his father away. "You're nothing anymore." He said softly before walking back
towards his car. Nathan started after him, rushing to keep up. He grabbed
David's shoulder and pulled him back, only to get shoved again.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, goddamn it!" Nathan snapped. David
just pulled out his keys and opened the door. "Do not walk away from me,
David." Nathan repeated, much quieter. David didn't look at him.

"Dad, you're my father, but that's it." He said softly through the open
window before starting the car and driving off. Nathan watched the car
disappear and than cursed, kicking a trash can. He muttered some more
obscenities and walked back towards the main street to hail a cab.

KD sighed and looked around. She didn't know what to do next. She smiled
to herself and leaned forward to her the lower right drawer of her desk. She
rifled through and then frowned. She got to her feet and went to the door.
She leaned out to see David leaning back in his chair.

"David, where are my snickers?" She asked carefully. He glanced at her
with a frown and shrugged.

"I don't know." He exclaimed.

"David, I'm not kidding. Where are my snickers?" KD repeated.

"I do not know where your snickers are. I did not touch your snickers."
David retorted. KD sighed and looked around.

"Anybody been in my office while I was gone?" She asked.

"I dunno. Sam, I think." David recalled. KD sighed and nodded.

"Damn it, Seaborn." She muttered and looked around. "David, did he steal
my snickers?"

"I guess so. He's the only one who's been in there." David replied as he
flipped through the latest issue of Premiere magazine. KD nodded and moved
out into the hallway towards the communications bullpen. She smiled to Bonnie
and Kathy, and then leaned in Sam's door.

"Sam, did you steal my snickers?" She asked.

"Nope. Talk to David. I think I saw him eating one earlier." Sam replied
as he scribbled a note in the margin of a speech he'd written for an upcoming
dinner the President was hosting. KD cursed and nodded.

"Thanks." She said and moved to peer into Toby's office. He was sitting
in his chair, tapping a pen against one of his temples. She smiled and moved
into the room. He looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"You always pick the best moments to brighten my day." He said softly as
he got to his feet. She closed the door behind her and moved over to him. He
slipped his arms around her and pinned her against the desk. She smiled a
little wider and pulled her arms around his neck.

"Well, I was going on a snickers hunt and I thought I drop by your
office." She said softly as she leaned her forehead against his.

"Someone steal your snickers again?" He asked softly before pressing his
lips to her neck. She shivered a little and nodded.

"Yeah, I think David is plotting against me." She murmured as he kissed
her again, moving a little higher up.

"Should we enact revenge?" Toby said playfully before kissing her again,
still a little higher. She nodded as she moved her head against his, her
fingers playing with the small hairs on the back of his head.

"Toby, what are you doing?" She said softly as he kissed her below her
ear, his fingers moving up her back gently.

"I'm relaxing after a hard speech-writing attempt." He whispered as he
moved a hand up into her hair. She smiled weakly and kissed his ear. He
murmured softly. "I regret the day I told you that."

"Told me what?" She teased before kissing his ear again.

"Told you my weak spot." He admitted before taking her lips between his.
She murmured through the kiss as he held her tight.

"Toby, I need . . .never mind." Sam corrected himself before closing the
door again and going back to his office.

"At least it wasn't Josh this time." KD murmured after they pulled apart.
Toby sighed and nodded. "It's only two o'clock, Toby. We'll have plenty of
time later." She assured him before kissing him gently and moving for the
door. Toby sighed and sat back down.

"You can't get rid of me, you know it, Brody." He said softly.

"I was just about to tell you the same thing, Ziegler, only the other way
around." She returned and closed the door. Toby chuckled fondly before
grabbing his pen and restarting the tapping rhythm. KD looked at Ginger and
smiled before heading back towards her office.

"Katy, wait up." Leo's voice exclaimed. KD stopped and looked back at him
as he caught up to her.

"What's up, dad?" She asked casually.

"I know you've been back for a few days now, but I just got a free five
minutes, so you mind if we talk. The President and I, and Abbey, we've all
been talking about you, wondering if everything's okay." Leo admitted as he
reached her side and they started walking again.

"I feel better than I have in a few days. I don't really know how I'm
supposed to feel. It's been nearly a week. Tomorrow. I mean, I've made it
through this week, right?" KD said weakly. "You know I hadn't talked to him
in a while, but I talk to him a lot lately."

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, a little confused.

"He shows up in my dreams, sometimes just standing there or saying
something, or just being some random voice. I don't know, maybe it's just
because of the whole thing, my mind is trying to deal with the concept of
death. I've never really . . ." KD paused as they walked into Leo's office.
Leo closed the door and listened as she gathered her thoughts. "I mean, have
I ever really dealt with death, Leo? I mean, what was it again? 'I haven't
faced death, I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted
myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing.'" She recited. Leo
leaned his head to the side a little, trying to remember.

"What's that from?" He asked softly.

"Star Trek II, after Spock died. Kirk realized just what he was. I wonder
if I'm the devil-may-care asshole Kirk was." She exclaimed.

"Kirk may have been a devil-may-care asshole, but he was also a wise man
who knew the difference between right and wrong. He was such a bad guy that
you might think, even if he did kiss everything female." Leo added. KD smiled
and nodded.

"Well, I don't kiss just anybody, that's true." She replied playfully.
Leo chuckled.

"Hey, listen, I know I haven't had a chance yet, but I just wanted to
say, happy birthday." Leo said suddenly. KD smirked and nodded.

"Thanks, dad. I know you've been busy." She assured him.

"I know it's tomorrow and all, but I don't know if I'll get a free moment
then." He explained. She waved her hands and nodded.

"Don't worry. Toby and I have plans of our own." She said with a grin.
"I'll be fine." Leo shook his head.

"More than I wanted to know. You busy tonight?" He asked.

"Well, Leo, I'm surprised at you. I'm taken, you old dog." She teased.

"Ha, ha." He retorted, then paused. "Seriously though? You guys got
plans?" KD shrugged.

"I don't think so. I think we were going punch out and go home to watch
stupid movies or something." She admitted.

"Okay. You mind doing a thing with me at six thirty?" He asked.

"A thing?" She repeated.

"Yeah, a thing." He said, shrugging.

"What kind of thing?" She pressed.

"A meeting with Sean Friedman." He exclaimed.

"Him? What's he doing here?" KD asked, confused.

"He wants to talk about this thing we got coming up, the new handguns and
copkiller double header." Leo said carefully. KD shrugged and nodded.

"Okay, sounds fine." She agreed.

"Okay." Leo said. One down, one to go. "I'll drop by your office at about
six fifteen, okay?" He said. KD nodded and chuckled. "What's so funny?" he
asked playfully.

"This is sound more and more like a date, Mr. McGarry. I ought to call
for my lawyer." She retorted before getting to her feet. "May I go now? I
have to beat my assistant to death with a candy bar."

"I told you many times before, no killing your assistant." Leo retorted.

"He stole my snickers, dad." KD said in a mock whine.

"In that case, you make break his legs, but no killing." Leo said in a
deadpan voice. KD nodded and turned to leave.

"Yes, sir!" She replied as she walked out the door. She turned down the
hallway and stopped in front of David's desk. He smiled and took another bite
of his snickers bar. She growled at him playfully. He smiled wider and
offered her one. She snatched the bag back and then looked at Josh who was
standing in his doorway, eating a snickers. "MY candy." She said before
moving into her office and closing the door. David and Josh both broke out
into laughter and went back to work.

To Be Continued . . .