If there was one thing about KD that Leo knew, it was where she would go now. He
walked briskly along the sidewalk, trying to think of what he was going to say to
her when he found her in the park that was close by to the White House and to a
lake that KD loved to look out over. He saw the bench and he saw the person, just
watching the water. He took a deep breath and kept going, still thinking about the
words that he had to say.

"What the hell did you do?" Leo exclaimed as he stopped by the bench. KD looked
at him, the pain flooding through her eyes, and then looked back at her notebook.
Leo sighed and sat next to her.

"Nice to see you too." She muttered and scribbling something next to the printed
text of a brief she had with her.

"I know this wasn’t your choice." Leo snapped.

"I make my own choices." KD retorted. Her voice was cold and uneven. He only
heard a voice like that from her when she didn’t want to talk, but he wasn’t going to
be scared away.

"What did Wyatt say to you?" Leo asked sharply. KD cursed and started stuffing
her things into the briefcase by her side.

"Damn that David. He promised." She snapped.

"He had higher orders." Leo retorted. "What did she say?"

"It’s none of your business. It’s mine and it’s hers and that’s it." KD replied.

"Funny, I think Toby is somehow involved in it too." Leo returned. KD shook her
head and got to her feet, but Leo was right on her heels. "You can’t walk away from
this, Katy. You can’t just run away because someone says something to you. For
God’s sake, what did she say?"

"Listen to me, Leo. I can’t do this. If I do this with you, here, now, I may never be
able to look at myself again in the mirror. I don’t know if I can at this point anyway. I
love Toby, but what I’m doing, I’m doing because it’s what strikes me as the best
thing for him as well as for me and everyone else, everyone else." KD replied
harshly before starting to move away. Leo kept with her, angry that she couldn’t
open up to him.

"The reason you won’t be able to look yourself in the mirror is because you know
this is wrong, and whatever Wyatt said to you can’t be all that bad as to make you
run away from the man you love. We’re your family, Katy, and you can’t just run
away from us on a whim." He snapped.

"Well, maybe this is what Toby wants too." KD retorted.

"What the hell do you mean? That man was trying not to cry when I saw him." Leo
exclaimed. KD paused and looked him. Leo hoped to God he’d reached her and that
now she would come home where she belonged and they could just write this day
off on hormones or something. But she shook her head and started moving again.

"You haven’t been there. You haven’t seen the look in his eyes. He says he loves
me but I can never stop feeling like he wants to be somewhere else. Leo, it’s a
horrible feeling when you feel it from the person you love. I love Toby, I do, but I
honestly think we just need the time apart. In the end, maybe this is just what
everybody needs." KD rambled as they approached her jeep. Leo shook his head.
He couldn’t believe he was hearing this.

"Is this really you? Am I talking to some clone? The KD Brody I know would never
just give up and walk away. He makes you happy, KD. Isn’t that all that matters?"
He asked.

"No, it’s not all that matters. I want to make him happy too, and I don’t think I’m
doing it." KD replied as she tossed her briefcase into the back and started
searching for her keys.

"You’re running away again. You ran away from Danny, you ran away from LA,
Minnesota, the FBI, and now it’s our turn. We don’t even get the traditional four
years." Leo exclaimed dryly. KD glared at him with eyes that shot daggers at him.
He immediately regretted what he’d said but somewhere, they both felt that
perhaps he was right.

"You have no right to talk to me about Danny, LA, Minnesota or the FBI. Sometimes I
feel guilty about what happened with Danny. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t left him and
then I can still call him my own, but he’s happy with CJ and I wish him all the lucky
in the world. I went to LA and I treated gunshot wounds on twelve-year-olds and I’m
sorry that it doesn’t meet to your approval that I just couldn’t take that anymore."
She snapped. "I spent my time in Minnesota working for a man who made my
blood boil and when he lost re-election, I didn’t spill any tears. I joined the FBI,
believing that I could save those very twelve-year-olds but instead I got to watch as
four of my friends were shot down by a man who almost went free. So don’t you
dare yell at me for ‘running away’ from those things. I was pushed and I don’t
regret a single one of those years."

"Katy, I’m sorry. But can you look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you’re not
running away now?" Leo pleaded. KD looked at him.

"No. I can’t. But there’s nothing anybody can do about it." She said softly.

"Yes, we can. Tell me what Wyatt said to you." Leo asked again. KD paused and
then looked at him again.

"I’ll call you from the road." She whispered before climbing into her car and
starting the engine. Leo pondered jumping into the way, but the joy of have a
Wrangler was that cement curbs didn’t bother your transmission as much and KD
would not hesitate to drive on to the sidewalk to get away from him, he knew her
that much. Or did he? He thought he knew her and now all he could do was watch
as she drove away from the life that they’d started to share, as a father and
daughter should have.

Now what was going to happen?

David stood up quickly and moved into KD’s office to ask her a question before
remembering that she wasn’t there. She wasn’t there. She’d left. Why? Why did
she leave? Was it his fault? No, but if she never came back, it would be his fault.
Why did he tell the President about Wyatt’s visit even after he promised KD that he
wouldn’t tell anyone? KD would never trust him again, and she would probably
never come home. She would never forgive him and no one would ever figure out
just what had gone wrong. David closed KD’s door behind him and sat on her
couch. He just wanted to hear her voice again, hear her say that he’d done well or
that he’d screwed up monumentally.

There was a knock at the door, and David didn’t have to look to know who it was.
There was only one person that he could stand to see right now, and she always
knew when he needed her. The door opened and closed again as Ginger stepped
inside and found a place to sit next to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"I just wish I understood." He replied softly. She nodded.

"It will be okay, David. She’s going to come back. She can’t stand to be away from
Toby for more than two days." Ginger whispered.

"Did you see the way she spoke to him? The way she brushed him off?" David
asked sharply, but still softly.

"I know. It’s scary, but I have to believe that it’s not over. I’ve always believed in
Toby and KD, and when I see them, I see what I want to be with you, but I have to
keep believing that true love always prevails." Ginger insisted. David looked into
her eyes and saw her conviction.

"This is my fault. I should have kept her here. I shouldn’t have promised not to tell. I
told the President what she told me not to, and now she’ll never come back. She’ll
never trust me again." He whispered.

"KD is confused right now. She doesn’t know what she wants or what she needs.
It’s up to us to decide for her." Ginger replied. "She’s going to come back, and
she’s going to trust you again when she remembers that you did it because you
cared about her."

"You sound so certain." David whispered.

"It might take time, but you’ll see I’m right." She replied softly as she snuggled into
his side.

"Yes, ma’am." He whispered back and held her close.

Part 3 New Character Stories Index Part 5