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Title: 10 Summoners Tales: St Augustine in Hell Summary: My first "episode" with a proper A and B plot. Sometimes being honest is the best way forward Spoilers: Season One Disclaimers: Evie & Morag & Max are mine, plus a number of other characters. Everyone who belongs in "The West Wing" is the property of the Evil Genius. Thanks: This one is Dave's. Thank you for "The Man who mistook his Wife for a Hat". All good ideas start with such inspired suggestions == Saint Augustine in Hell
"Seeing, then, that these men teach others, either through speech or writing, what they understand, surely they cannot blame me if I likewise teach not only what they understand, but also the rules of interpretation they follow." St Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, Book 1
It is the strangest thing. Everyone is applauding. I've been here two minutes, I'm walking through the bullpen the same way I do every morning on the way to my office and people are actually cheering me. I wasn't sure what to expect today, but I'm sure I wasn't expecting this. This is so bizarre. I can't work a crowd in the same way Josh or CJ can; it's just not in my nature. So, I stand for a moment, wave nervously and then scuttle quickly off to my office. I'm unpacking my bag when Morag arrives. "Good Morning! Just thought you'd like to know that, according to most of the bullpen, you rock" "Excuse me?" "You're the one, you're dope, you're awesome, you kicked butt" I turn to face my secretary. "I did give Mandy Hampton a good slapping last night, didn't I?" Last night I made my first appearance on "Capital Beat". Josh had been scheduled to appear until I got a tip-off around two hours beforehand that Mandy had been flown in as a late replacement for the scheduled Republican commentator. It was me that suggested to Leo that the last person she'd expect to be there would be me, and in the end that element of surprise was the greatest weapon in a formidable arsenal. When we finally went off-air she was, in my considered opinion, dead in the water. That was the idea, after all. "I'm sure that's a phrase most Americans wouldn't immediately use to describe your victory, but it's as good as any" Morag comes up and gives me a hug "I'm proud of you, bairn. You didn't resort to shouting or underhand tactics; you
just got her with the truth and with a well-reasoned argument. That's the proper way to
win." "Thank you. Now, we have a lot to do before I go and see Leo, so let's get on with it." == I have been working with Leo for half an hour as Toby arrives for Senior Staff. "Not bad" Toby smiles and sits down next to me. "I assume this is in reference to last night's performance? What did it look like?" "I'd use the word annihilation" Sam almost skips into Leo's office and sticks himself down opposite. "Very impressive" "Why, thank you boys, I didn't know you cared" I know I should make the most of this because I've the potential to ruin this perfectly good victory celebration with what I now plan to do. CJ and Josh arrive together, giggling like children. "You know, we should have charged admission, we'd have made a fortune " CJ picks up a Danish and takes a huge bite before sitting down This is news to me: "Am I to believe you all sat and watched this together?" Josh flashes his best big grin at me. "Leo let us all sit in here and watch it, they were piled three high at the back. When you threw her own strategy document back at her we almost took the doors off" I'm lucky to have the document at all. I'd been talking one evening a few weeks back to Danny Concanon. I learned two things I didn't know that evening: one was that Danny is a good friend of Max (they worked as interns together, it appears) The other was that Lloyd Russell had recently offered him a copy of the document Mandy wrote whilst in his employ, detailing the weaknesses in the Bartlet camp and how to beat the President and his administration in 2002. One day I might be honest with Leo and tell him just what I did to get the document from Danny without him publishing it first. For now, I'm more concerned with making good use of my deal with the Devil from the Washington Post. The four sit and chatter away like a group of pre-schoolers. I look at Leo, and he looks at me. There's never going to be a good time to do this, so let's do it now. "Would this be the point to remind you that in that exact same document Mandy feels this administration's enthusiasm for gloating is potentially one of it's biggest failings?" Josh is dismissive. "You won, we should all feel good about that" "And I'm not arguing that point. I've had this document for almost three weeks, and Mandy's absolutely right, if someone reads this and uses it for its original purpose we could all be out of a job. All it takes is a group of people as smart as you are...and in case you haven't noticed, there are a LOT of people out there of both the Republican and Democratic persuasion who fit that bill" That brings the children back to earth with a bump. "Please tell me that, apart from CJ, one of you three has actually bothered to read the damn thing?" I realise with a heavy heart that none of them have. Sam looks genuinely apologetic, but Toby and Josh remain stoically unmoved. They seem happy enough to relate to me when I do something good for the whole, but that's where the co-operation seems to end. Well, let's see if we can change that... I hand out the folders Leo and I have been putting the finishing touches to. "Leo and I have used Mandy's strategy memo to create a report card for each of you, which analyses and criticises your current working practices and public presentation styles. These report cards are meant as a starting point for constructive discussion over the coming weeks: Leo thinks that we should, in six months, aim to address most of the major shortfalls Mandy targets. I'm also in the process of completing analyses with Leo on your secretarial staff and the President. If you think Leo's getting off lightly, he's not: the President and Mrs Landingham have helped me with his appraisal." Josh is immediately hostile "So who's doing your report?" Leo is ready with a response "I am, but this isn't about Evie. She's not criticised by Mandy, we all are. We need to show a willingness to respond to criticism and not to bury it. I've spent a long time with Evie working on this, I'm happy that every thing she's highlighted is fair comment and not simply an excuse to throw mud. It's time we all took this seriously." The room is strangely silent. All four staffers are reading their individual précis, taking in the basis of what I've given them. Sam is the first to finish. "I think this is fair" He turns and looks at me "I can work with this" "Yes, I'd agree. This is reasonable" CJ closes her folder. She knew this was coming; we've already done a lot of work on her report card. She is sensible enough to act as if this is the first time she's seen it. Toby looks up at me: there is fire in his eyes "You think this is warranted?" I meet his gaze and am unwavering "We'll see. I'd like to briefly talk to everyone today, to go over the major points and to discuss the way forward. I have a half an hour with the President at eleven-thirty, Morag can arrange times after that" Leo shoots him a withering gaze at Toby "I want you to read it, all of it, and be ready to discuss it, without a problem. Josh?" Josh still doesn't look up from his file, and says nothing. "Don't get me mad, Josh" Leo's voice says it all. The Deputy Chief finally looks up at his boss, but avoids my gaze "I'll arrange it with Donna" Leo is now all business. "Right then. Let's get to work" == My moment of glory is short-lived. There's a distinctly frosty feel to the bullpen as I walk back from Leo's office to mine. Morag is waiting at my office door with a concerned look and a hot cup of tea. "How'd it go?" "Just make sure you've got updated copies of my resume" "That bad?" "CJ was always okay about this, Sam's willing..." "...but Josh and Toby aren't?" "Hostile isn't strong enough a word. They were both arguing with Leo as I left" We look at each other. "You thrive on hostility, remember?" Morag is smiling "If it was just my input I might be worried, but both Leo and the President have rubber-stamped these things. I've got some fairly heavyweight backing. We'll just have to see what happens" "Excuse me?" Morag and I both look round simultaneously. There is a black guy standing next to us with a file in his hand and a visitor's pass around his neck. I know this person, I went and saw him last week and hoped I'd not have meet him again for a while. This day suddenly got a whole lot worse. == Brian Walker from the FBI is getting frustrated; he's been on hold now for almost ten minutes. We're getting nowhere fast and I am conscious of time getting away from us. He shoots me an apologetic look and I dismiss it. He's doing his best, that's all he can do. I shout out to Morag. "Is CJ-" "She'll be in with Leo in two minutes." "Is Josh still not speaking to me?" "Donna's being as helpful as she can..." "I'll go and get him myself, then. How are we doing with Brian's copies? "All done" Morag comes in with three files, hastily but professionally prepared from the one Brian's just briefed me with. "There's still stuff I'm waiting for from the Field Office" he informs me, his hand over the 'phone mouthpiece. "That's okay, I'll bring copies up to you if you get them to fax it through to me." Brian smiles "I could do with you in my office" "If you pay me more I'll be happy to consider a move" I can't stay here any longer, it'll be breaking on the networks any time now and we need to be talking to Leo and CJ before it does. I take the files and make a decision. "Brian, I'm going to go and start to brief the Chief of Staff on this. When you've got the contact established get Morag to bring you up, okay?" "No problem. This doesn't feel good, I hope my gut feeling is wrong." "You and me both" I'm already out the door. I don't see people or notice anything as I head for Josh's office, my mind is entirely on my task, and how Brian and I should be presenting the situation to Leo. As a result I almost plough straight into Donna, who I find blocking the way to the Deputy Chief of Staff's door. I'm not sure if I really have time for a fight. "You can't see him, he's busy" "Doing what, Donna?" "He doesn't want to be disturbed" "Did he say why?" "He said he didn't want to be disturbed by anyone who was going to be overly critical of him" "That would be me, then" "Yes" You've got to hand it to Donnatella Moss, she's loyal. Is it really worth the effort laying it on the line with her, reinforcing the fact that both her boss and I do actually work for the same person and therefore really should be playing on the same side by now? She looks at me with an apologetic smile. "I've never seen him this irked about anything before. What you and Leo have written must really have hit home." I look at Donna and smile. Mandy was right, it's clear who wears the pants in this boss/assistant relationship. That was at the top of Josh's report card: let's hope he's been irked by that for starters. I decide to use Donna to my advantage. If we have to play hardball, then let's play. "Leo thought this was something he'd want to be in on, but on reflection we don't really need him." Donna looks at me with concern. "I could see if he'll-" "No, it's fine, I really don't have time to stand here and discuss this, I need to go and brief Leo & CJ" With that I turn and walk way. == Both Leo and CJ are waiting for me in Leo's office. "What have you got?" I sit down with the pair and begin "This" I say, passing a picture to them both "is Marty Edward Anderson. CJ will know him better as-" "Marty A" CJ is already ahead of me. "Do we know this guy?" Leo looks at his Press Secretary. "Since the President was inaugurated he's sent one hundred and forty seven letters to the White House. He's in his mid thirties and has some learning problems...?" CJ looks at me for confirmation "He's thirty-six, but he has a mental age of nine. He's also something of a minor celebrity in Bedford Park, Illinois. He's lived in a local Rainbow Care Home for the last six years, and both local press and TV have interviewed him with his letter collection. His walls are covered with them: I've written a couple of replies to him, so have CJ, Sam and Josh. The President has hand-written two thus far, and these take pride of place next to his bed" "This guy's a fan?" Leo is looking at some press cuttings from the Herald Tribune as I talk. "The story goes that Marty saw President Bartlet on TV during the Inauguration Ceremony and asked one of the home's live-in carers to help him send a letter. They've become part of his therapy: he uses newspaper articles and magazine pictures to tell stories: what he's done, where he's been on days out. He also draws pictures, very good ones from the letters I've seen. His carer tells us he thinks the President is a good man." CJ smiles "If we could get them all to feel like that..." "So, what's changed?" Leo looks back to me. "At the beginning of last week the Correspondence Office received half a dozen letters in one plain envelope, all apparently written over the same two day period. These were still from Marty, but they were very different: disturbing images and other things that made the Office think something was amiss. Mrs Landingham was given the letters and she 'phoned his Care home on a hunch, to find out he'd disappeared. She then spoke to me, and I suggested she should pass them onto someone at the FBI so they could assess the situation and possibly follow the information up with the local police. It all got serious when they identified what Mrs Landingham first thought were red ink spots on the envelopes as blood" There is a knock on Leo's open door. Morag stands with a rather nervous looking Brian. This is his first trip to the White House, I wish it had been under less pressing circumstances. "Leo McGarry and CJ Cregg, this is Brian Walker" CJ looks at the investigator as he takes a seat beside Leo's desk. "Do we know what happened to Marty?" "The local FBI office is still trying to draw up a complete picture of events. It was clear from the letters Mrs Landingham gave me that someone took Marty away from his care home by force: that someone was his younger brother, Paul. He was wanted by the Chicago P.D. for a number of aggravated assaults plus at least three gas station hold-ups in the last month. The local Police went to Paul Anderson's last known address this morning and found him. He'd been shot twice at close range, and had been dead for some time. We've got very good reason to believe that it was Marty who killed him." Leo is stunned "This was in his letters?" Brian pulls one of the letters in question from his own file and holds it in his hands as he talks. "He may not be able to write, but Marty's last two letters make it very clear that he was very badly treated by his brother. He also alludes to a robbery that the police now know Paul committed the day after he was taken. Chicago PD are speculating that sometime over the last seven days Paul may have tried to assault him and that Marty could have shot his brother either by accident or in self-defence." There's one letter in particular that I want Leo to see, so I pull it out of my file and hand it to him "The final letter of the six has the most disturbing image of all: Marty has drawn himself on top of a large bonfire being burned alive" "So, where's he now?" Leo is looking at a selection of earlier letters: they are wonderfully bright affairs, full of cutouts from magazines and small and neat felt-tip drawings. It seems so cruel that someone that innocent could be dragged through something so frightening. "He's sitting in a Seven Eleven on Route 55 with a gun and nine hostages" Brian's initial uneasiness is beginning to subside. "It's probably the same gun that killed Paul, but we'd need to examine it to confirm that" CJ is incredulous. "He has hostages?" "That's what we're calling them, but considering Marty's mental capacity we're guessing he's now forgotten they're there. There's more, and it refers back to that last letter, Mr McGarry. Marty didn't always live in the care home; he used to be with his dad in Chicago until Bruno Anderson died in 1994. Because Dad couldn't afford full-time care Marty used to go to work with him. I'll give you three guesses what Dad used to do for a living" The FBI man is now officially over his nerves. CJ has already found the relevant biographical information in her file "I'd love to say ice-cream salesman, but-" "He was in demolition. This guy didn't need TNT: you could give Bruno Anderson a box of matches and a piece of wood, and in fifteen minutes he could have destroyed your building. He's even undertaken work for CIA and us in his time. It appears from the initial shots we've been able to get of the area that Marty's picked up a lot of his Dad's ingenuity along the way. They're bringing in a specialist explosives team to assess what happens now" "Is there much he can use in a Seven Eleven to blow it up?" I can see Leo is thinking ahead, I for one have already considered a handful of nightmare scenarios. "I don't know, Leo: I work on the theory that pretty much everything burns" Suddenly the seriousness of the situation hits me. If Mrs Landingham had ignored these letters, passed them off as just not warranting attention then none of us would be sitting here, and I'd be trying to find a way to deflect the situation away from the President. Because someone cared and pushed we're suddenly in the thick of it. This is our problem, and we have to find a way to resolve it. We all need to show just how well things can be co-ordinated from the White House, and as I'm still pretty new at this... "Brian is still waiting for medical records and some other biographical information from the local FBI office. Did they get a line established?" I look to my newly found FBI contact, who nods. "We'll keep you up to date with anything that develops" "You need any help?" Josh looks at me from Leo's door and smiles. I notice he has his report card in his hand. "You know, I've never seen anyone manipulate Donna as well as you" "As Leo keeps telling me, this is what he pays me for. Brian Walker, I believe you already know Josh Lyman?" I quickly pass him the briefing file I had made for him knowing that he'd appear at some point after I challenged Donna. Josh Lyman may be many things, but unprofessional ultimately is not one of them. It's beginning to feel like we're on top of this, and that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Leo shoots me a quick glance, which I know means "nicely done". Brian acknowledges the Deputy Chief: "We've spoken a few times but we've never met in person" Josh stands and talks whilst he skims through the folder "Evie's not had any experience of a hostage situation before, it might be wise to give her a crash course in negotiation techniques. There's also someone I can talk to who's an expert in amateur bomb-making: I notice on the breaking news footage that Marty's good with his hands" "Is everyone carrying it?" I already know the answer to that. "Yup. The first pictures started coming through about five minutes ago. CBS have already picked up on our biggest fan's letter-writing hobby" Leo looks at CJ "You need anything else to brief at twelve?" CJ has been making rapid notes for the last five minutes "No, I'm okay here. Evie can keep me on top of this, she knows what to do" I look at the four of them all looking at me. == I'm eating my lunch in the office: normally I'd go down to the mess hall, but I'm nervous about being away from the 'phone in case something develops. Morag has gone out for supplies: we have no idea how long Marty will hold out. The intelligence photos Brian received about an hour ago show the inside of the Seven Eleven criss-crossed with a selection of what the FBI believe are legitimately lethal booby traps, built from the most bizarre household items. The "hostages" are all locked in a room in the back of the store and are, from what can be ascertained, in no immediate danger. The biggest problem the Police are having is getting Marty to communicate. At the moment he refuses to answer the 'phone and so they are trying to communicate via megaphone, but with limited success. I am acutely aware of all the things that could so easily go wrong and could change this tense situation into a disaster, and I need to try and anticipate as many as I can. I look at my watch: Brian is briefing the President on the current situation with Josh. I'm currently ploughing through the various pieces of Marty's medical history the FBI in Washington have pulled together from their hasty investigations, in the hope that I might turn up something that they have missed. I can't just sit here and do nothing; I have to try and help. I also have to keep busy, and it may as well be like this. My eyes are beginning to water, so I look up from the report to my bagel and by now cold, hot chocolate. Toby is standing in my doorway. "Tell me what would have happened if Leo had hired Mandy Hampton" I mull over this question, and take a long, considered look at the Communications Director. What kind of answer would you like, Toby? "Well, I think initially she'd have buried her strategy document to use as potential ammunition in case things didn't go to plan. I'm told it's always useful to have an escape route. I suspect she'd have then fallen in love with the job and conveniently decided to forget she ever wrote it. Time would pass, she'd try to get you guys to change but you'd steadfastly ignore her, so she'd come to the conclusion that for the sake of a quiet life it would probably be best just to collect her salary and not cause too much of a fuss. This would be the moment that someone from a newspaper would buy the document for a large sum of money from her ex-employer and publish it. The bad feeling and distrust that would occur as a result would effectively destroy her reputation, and ultimately she'd be out of a job." Toby remains unmoving, leaning against my doorway. I smile at him in a hopeful manner. "Well, that's one possibility" "You thought a lot of she wrote about us was fair criticism?" He's not just talking about himself, but us...I think I may be getting somewhere. "I think Mandy's very good at spotting limitations to exploit. I wouldn't say that the methods she employs are particularly fair. Her major weapon is emotional pressure, and it works only in certain circumstances. She'd be far more dangerous if she were less emotional. That's something you and Josh could learn a lot from." Toby finally relaxes and walks into the office, sitting down in the chair opposite "A lot of what you comment on is warranted. I suppose I was expecting you to expose me more than you have" I shake my head. "You're too exposed already. If you spent less time allowing how you feel personally to dictate your professional actions you'd make huge strides forward, and you'd be a far more sophisticated enemy to beat" Suddenly this is a different Toby to the one I've dealt with before. He seems vulnerable, nervous..."But how I feel is important, it's what I am" "I understand that, but in the end if you allow that to colour everything you do it becomes impossible to work out what really matters. You have to find a way to step back or else the job has the potential to destroy you" "Like it did my marriage?" It would appear that my critique has hit the nail on the head. "Is that what you feel happened with you and Andrea?" "Politics had a lot to do with it" This is neither the time nor the place to pursue this in depth. I decide to change tack. "Can I assume then, that from initially being hostile towards my observations you are now prepared to spend time discussing what can be done to improve your working persona?" Toby is the last of the senior staffers to visit me. Josh came ten minutes after I briefed CJ and Leo, and started with an apology: "too quick to judge and too easy to ire" was how he described himself. I'm seeing him tomorrow morning, after I've spoken to first Sam and then CJ. "When are you next free?" I smile. "Morag will phone Ginger when she gets back and we'll sort out a good time tomorrow" He seems satisfied at this and stands. As he is leaving he stops, turning around to face me. "What's your escape plan?" "I'm digging three tunnels and disposing of the dirt I end up with in the mess area..." I'm not sure he gets the reference. He MUST get the reference. Every bloke I know's seen "The Great Escape"... "I'm told an escape plan is useful, but as I've never had one I wouldn't know. Maybe it's time I thought of one. Do you think I should be worrying about being out of work?" "I think you're okay for now" He's gone, and I go back to my paperwork. Five minutes later I discover why the FBI are having so much trouble communicating with their kidnapper. == I have the complete psychiatric report in my hand and am heading for Josh's office when suddenly Josh appears at my shoulder. "Brian and I have just been talking to the negotiating team on the ground. They finally managed to establish a contact and now all Marty wants is to talk to the President. He refuses to talk to anyone else. They're getting desperate, and they're looking at the possibility of storming the building" "Would I be right in saying he's spent a lot of time laughing at them?" Josh looks at me suspiciously "Have you been talking to someone?" I wave the report at him "No, but I just picked up something that the FBI managed to miss. I was on my way to find you, then we were on our way to Leo's office...shall we?" == "Two words: receptive aphasia" I hand a copy of the psychiatrist's report to the Chief of Staff. "Marty was brain damaged after complications during birth. It caused selective learning difficulties: specifically it affected his capacity to understand what was said to him. He doesn't understand words but he can grasp their basic meaning by the tone and presentation of the person speaking. For instance, if I were to say to Marty: "Hello and how are you?" he would be able to grasp that I was asking him how he was without understanding what "how are you" actually means. The condition is known as receptive aphasia" "How the hell did the FBI miss this?" Leo is looking at the report I've just handed him. "Geography. The diagnosis was made whilst Marty lived with his father in Newark, New Jersey. The paperwork never actually made it to Chicago; they unearthed it a couple of hours ago after a search. I made a call to someone from the FBI at Quantico who's a specialist in neurological disorders. It's extremely difficult to prove that someone is aphasic: you have to strip away all the tone and inflection from a voice so all that's left are the words and nothing else. Apparently they use a computer-synthesised voice as a way to reduce speech to its purest form, so they can assess the level of aphasic disability." Josh is beginning to understand "So this explains why he's having some comprehension problems?" "It's not just that. You can't be dishonest to an aphasic. They can tell by the tone and inflection of a person's voice. You could consider them the ultimate lie detector. If the FBI are trying to cover up anything or aren't being 100% honest he'll know, and he'll laugh at them. In time, he may get angry and if that happens..." A thought strikes me with enough force for Leo to notice. "What are you thinking?" "Josh was telling me that Marty wants to speak to the President and that he won't speak to anyone else. What if the President was to tell him what he's done was a bad thing and he needed to give himself up?" Leo is sceptical "The President's not trained-" "We can get a negotiator here who could talk him through it" I look at Josh for support. He is considering the idea "It's a dangerous precedent, if he does this we could have every wacko in the country taking hostages and demanding a personal call" "So we tell everyone else we've got the best Jed Bartlet impersonator in the country arriving from Vegas! Nobody else needs to know it's really the President. There's gotta be someone Ron Butterfield's happy with to bring in if we want to keep it confidential...look, only Marty needs to know, and he's the only one who would work out if we were really lying in the first place. The President is this guy's hero; since his father died he's the only person he's communicated with at any length. I'm betting that if we want this to end well and without blood being spilled this is probably the best way to go." These are the two people whose opinion means the difference between this idea sinking and floating. I'm still not sure if I'm there. Leo looks at Josh "The President won't need much encouragement to do this, he's been talking about nothing else all morning" Josh turns back to me with a smile "You know, I think it just might work..." I feel the urge to kiss them both. == The President is in the Oval Office, being briefed by Jade Grierson. The FBI agent is part of the President's personal protection team and is also an expert in negotiation technique. She's sitting now with Bartlet giving him a run-down of what he should say and how he should avoid confrontation. I think the President is genuinely determined to give this his best shot. The door between the Oval Office and Leo's office is open, and Leo stands at the President's desk with Ron Butterfield, the head of the President's Security detail. I'm trying very hard not to listen in. Brian is currently in Josh's office. In order for this to work with the minimum number of people aware that the President himself is making the call, we have to keep him away. We are effectively lying to him. In order to use the truth to try to save one situation we are using an untruth to do so. The irony is not lost on me. Just like Danny and the memo, there's always a price. You may not have to pay immediately, but one day you will have to settle your tab. I wonder if I've done enough good things yet to put myself in credit. Somehow I doubt it. "Hey kiddo, how are we doing?" CJ arrives, fresh from her 2 o'clock. I ask her how things went. "Arthur's picked up on the fact Marty won't speak to anyone else but the President: he asked if we'd consider getting him to talk to the kidnapper" "And you said?" "That the President is currently involved in a number of pressing domestic matters but is keeping his eye on what he knows is a delicate situation" "Good answer" We exchange our "it's done" look, we've got a lid on it. The question will have gone by the four o'clock because, God willing, it'll all be over by then. Leo walks out of the Oval Office and I take the opportunity to grab a quick word. "How's he doing?" "We're almost there. The FBI people have mapped out a strategy: they want Marty to throw out his weapon first, then to defuse the two main devices blocking the entrance doors before giving himself up." "Is he likely to do all that? "I think they're asking a lot: I'd be pleased to see him walk out. Jade thinks that if the President asks him to do it for the good of the Country he'll be happy to." "Don't you wish you could just say that to Congress once in a while?" Leo shakes his head. "Miracles went out of fashion about two thousand years ago. Do you want to be in on this?" I consider Leo's offer then politely decline. I decide instead to go back to my office and wait it out there. == The TV is on in the corner, with the sound muted. I am watching live pictures from the Seven Eleven in Bedford Falls, and can see Marty walking away from the store with his hands on his head. It cheers me to see the police simply come and take him away rather than waving guns at him and shouting orders. I know it's not like this on every occasion, but here and now it's good to see a more humane approach. As he is being led away Marty looks up to the helicopter above him and waves: the big, cheerful wave of a nine year old. Helicopters are one of Marty's favourite things. I wonder what will happen to this man: the Police are unlikely to charge him with either murder or manslaughter. The FBI psychiatrist doubts he'll even remember a lot of what happened to him by now. I see him back at his care home, sending more letters to the President: I suspect the reality will be a lot harsher. Maybe everyone will be lucky and come out of this largely unscathed. I look at my watch: the President was connected to the ground eight minutes ago, and now it's all over without a shot being fired or a person being injured. "Not bad" Josh is there again, in my doorway with one hand behind his back. I'm beginning to suspect what the secretarial staff say is true and that he really is omnipresent. "Where's Brian?" "On his way back to FBI Headquarters with the feeling of a job well done" "Does he have any idea of what really happened?" "No. If it makes you feel any better I didn't actually have to lie directly to him. Think of it as a lie by inference" "So, that makes it okay? This could yet be a disaster." "No, we really did get lucky today; mostly because you had your eye on the ball" "It won't be like that every time." I don't want to gloat, and neither it appears does he. "We all know that, that's what makes this all so much fun. It's that element of danger, you just don't know what's going to happen next" "So, what does happen next?" He brings two beers out from behind his back "We celebrate your triumph. It's kinda traditional." "Am I allowed to consume alcohol during office hours?" "Only when you've done a Good Thing" This is not the time to tell him I'm a Miller girl. I accept the Sam Adams with good grace; after all it's not every day the Deputy Chief brings me free beer. We clink the necks of the bottles together and both take a swig. At that moment I spy Donna heading towards us. "I'd make the most of that, I have a feeling our celebration may be short-lived" She does look apologetic for a fraction of a second before she stops, takes the beer out of Josh's hands and goes to take a swig. He stops her before she can and takes the bottle back, putting it on my desk. "Who wants me, Donna?" She is momentarily put out. Hey, maybe things could be about to start changing in the Josh/Donna dynamic... "Leo needs you" "Celebrate without me, I'll be back later" I watch him leave, as does his secretary. She then turns back and looks at me with an expression that I can't work out. It could be malice, but more likely its just annoyance that I got the beer. == It's gone seven o'clock and I've just sent Morag home for the night. I decided to take the quiet time to work my way through the secretarial report cards, and with the help of the beers (it didn't matter that it wasn't Miller, it was still alcohol) I've done pretty well. Ginger, Bonnie, Carol, Margaret, Donna and Cathy's reports are now ready for Leo to look over and annotate. I gather the folders together, quietly deposit the two bottles in the trash and take a leisurely trip to Leo's office. The feel-good factor still remains in the bullpen. There's a vote tonight so things are still pretty busy, and people now seem to want to smile at me again. What a fickle bunch the bullpen groundlings are... I think if I look at the average for the day I'm still performing pretty well. Leo's office door is open, and Margaret is sorting files on his desk. She looks up with a smile as I knock. "He's with the President, I'll just tell him you're here" I politely wait, standing quietly. Leo looks out from the Oval Office and motions me in. I still get a kick walking into this room; it makes me feel like I'm on a movie set. "The President's on a call, he wanted to speak to you" Leo explains as I come and sit down beside him. I hand my folders over to him and he looks surprised. "I hadn't expected these until next week" "You don't know what's going to happen next week. I'm getting ahead of myself" President Bartlet finishes his call and looks at me from behind his desk. "It's been a good day, hasn't it?" "Considering what could have happened, I think we did okay. I even got free beer from Josh" "Josh bought you beer?" "Yes, Mr President" "Then you really have had a good day." He takes off his glasses and contemplates for a moment: "Leo tells me it was your idea for me to speak to Marty?" "Yes, Mr President" "Do you know who St Augustine was?" "He was a Catholic theologian, who lived around 450 AD. He conducted much of the early analysis of the scriptures" The President picks up a pencil and waggles it at Leo "See, this is why we hire these people. They know the answers to the questions we pose them." Bartlet continues unabated "I have a particular affinity with St Augustine, he taught people how to understand the scriptures, but more importantly how other people interpreted them" I can quote St Augustine... "Surely they cannot blame me if I likewise teach not only what they understand, but also the rules of interpretation they follow." I'm a big believer in how a different perspective is a powerful weapon, I think you can learn a lot from looking at the world through different people's eyes." As the President stands, so do Leo and I. He moves round the desk until he's facing me "I learnt a lot today because you suggested to Leo that I should talk to Marty. It's something that I'd never normally get to do. I wanted to thank you for that, not just for the experience but also for suggesting that we should be honest. I wish we could do that more often" "So do I Mr President. Sometimes being honest is the best way forward." "Do all my senior staff feel that way after their reports?" "They all do, Sir. I think we can really make some progress now" "That's good to hear. Now go home" "With pleasure, Mr President" I say a quick goodnight to Leo, and I'm out of the Oval Office. == It's another hour and a half before I find myself happy enough to leave. As I walk through the bullpen on my way out I stop for a moment and contemplate the day. I stood here more than twelve hours ago and people cheered me, now the place is virtually deserted. I think I prefer this place when it's quiet, because then I know there are no disasters or traumas taking place that I should know about or need to be preparing for. Most of the support staff will be at home, relaxing and getting ready for what tomorrow brings. I really should join them. The vote was lost, and in Leo's office shortly Toby, Sam and Josh will be debating their next move. CJ will be eating Kung Po chicken in her office and waiting for a statement for the last briefing of the day, and the President will be...he'll be more than he was when he started the day. I think we all got to learn something.
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