Toby left to go back to work early that morning. Which gave
CJ time to prepare Meghan for her overnight visit with the Bartlets.
CJ had not told Toby of her plans, and had no intention of telling
him until tonight. She just hoped everything went according to plan.
"CJ." Josh said from the door that connected their offices
"Yeah, Josh." CJ said.
"Wow, you sound like you are in a good mood. So did you and
Toby make up?"
"No, not yet." CJ said.
"But you're close to it?"
"I hope so." CJ said.
"Okay, you hope?"
"I don't know if Toby will accept why overtures."
"But you hope he will?"
"Yeah, of course I do Josh." CJ said.
"Well, then I hope it works out."
"Thanks, Josh. So do I, so do I.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam looked in on Toby when he left at eight o'clock.
"You still working?" Sam asked.
"Doesn't it look like I am?" Toby said.
"Yeah, I'm just making small talk."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Then you can leave." Toby said.
"Has CJ gone home?"
"I think so."
"Don't you think you should?"
"I need to finish this speech. I think I'll take a break
for
a moment. Care if I walk part of the way out with you?"
"No." Sam said.
Toby got up and walked out with Sam.
"So how are things with you and CJ?" Sam asked.
"I think things are getting better." Toby said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I think we made a breakthrough last night. Hopefully
it will improve more over the weekend."
"I hope it does." Sam said.
"So do I. With what happened last night I think it will. If
we can just talk about everything that has happened."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Toby was gone, Ginger went into his office. She placed
the envelope that CJ had given her earlier on the keyboard of
Toby's computer. She then slipped out of the office. She hoped whatever CJ
had written in that letter would work. Both CJ and Toby deserved to
be happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I was hopeful when CJ allowed me to kiss her last night."
Toby thought as he went back to his office. "I do wonder if she
did that deliberately though. She knows that if she lays her head back
like that on the couch, that I usually kiss her. She hasn't done
that since we started fighting. So I really do think she wanted me to kiss
her. Hopefully, over the weekend we can work this out."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CJ looked around the apartment after she got home. It seemed
so quiet without Meghan and Toby there. Maybe the quiet was what
they needed, maybe they need the quiet and to be totally
uninterrupted to work through this. She knew it was not going to be
easy, but nothing in life worth hanging onto never was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toby walked back into his office and sat down at his desk.
Looking at his computer, he saw in envelope with his name written in
CJ's handwriting on it. He opened it up and took out the folded
sheets inside.
Toby,
Like you, I have never been the best at apologizing to someone.
I hope that you will understand the words to the song I have written
on the other page. Please know that the song shows how I feel right
now, just as the songs that we danced to on our wedding day showed
how we felt on that day. If you are not ready to accept my overture
of peace, then please remember this: I love you. I will always love
you with all my heart and soul.
Love always,
CJ
Toby read the words CJ had written several times before
opening the other sheet that had the words of the song she had
written about on it.
It still feels like our first night together
Feels like the first kiss It's getting better baby
No one can better this
Still holding on
You're still the one
First time our eyes met
Same feeling I get
Only feels much stronger
I wanna love you longer
Do you still turn the fire on?
So if you're feeling lonely, don't
You're the only one I'll ever want I only want
So if I love you a little more than I should ...
Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Please believe me, every word I say is true
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
Still feels like our best times are together
Feels like the first touch
Still getting closer baby
Can't get closer enough
Still holding on
You're still number one
I remember the smell of your skin
I remember everything
I remember all the moves
I remember you yeah
I remember the nights, you know I still do
So if you're feeling lonely, don't
You're the only one I'll ever want I only want
So if I love you a little more than I should ...
Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Please believe me every word I say is true
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
The one thing I'm sure of
Is the way we make love
The one thing I depend on
Is for us to stay strong
With every word and every breath I'm praying
That's why I'm saying
Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Babe believe it, every word I say is true
Please forgive me, if I can't stop loving you
No, believe, I don't know what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
I can't stop ... loving you ...
Toby sat reading the note and the lyrics again for a few
minutes before packing his things up and going home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CJ looked up the second she heard Toby's key in the lock. She
watched him come in and smiled at him a little. He looked at her and
did the same.
"I got your note." Toby said quietly.
"I'm glad."
"We need to talk." Toby said.
"I know."
"I'm going to check on Meghan. Then I'll come back and we
will talk." Toby said.
"There's no need to. I asked Abbey to watch Meghan so we
could work this out."
"How did you accomplish that without me knowing?" Toby
laughed.
"The same way I got the note into your office."
"I see." Toby said and sat down on the couch beside
her. "Where do we start?"
"I don't know."
"Me either."
"Toby, why did you say I don't take a stand on issues?"
"I don't really know. I was hurt and I wanted to say
something to hurt you to and I knew that would. I don't really
feel that way. At least I don't think I do. After I said that, I
thought about that. I know you take a stand on issues. I was just trying to
hurt you."
"Like you felt I had you?" CJ asked.
"Yeah, I felt that you were not supporting me. It seemed that
you were taking their side against me."
"That makes me wonder if you even know me at all?"
"What makes you say that?"
"I thought that the tone of my voice would let you know what
I meant by that statement. Toby you can tell by my voice when I want
you to make love to me. Why can't you tell when I'm
supporting you?"
"CJ the words didn't sound that way to me."
"Why not?" CJ asked.
"It didn't seem very supportive to me at all."
"I meant it to be."
"I know that now."
"Why did you explode at me when I defended you to Mary
Marsh?"
"I wanted you to stay totally out of this. I didn't want
you involved. But the truth is if the roles had been reversed I would
have done the same."
"You never gave me a chance to tell you what she said that
made me the angriest."
"What was it?"
"She said that the reason I still use Cregg professionally is
that I'm ashamed of being your wife."
"Oh, come on. You and I know nothing could be further from
the truth. Why does what that woman thinks matter to any of us?"
"It doesn't, it just made me mad."
Toby laughed and held his hand out to CJ. She placed her
hand in his. "I don't want to fight about this anymore."
Toby said.
"Neither do I."
"Then why don't we call it a truce and say this is over."
"That sounds like a good idea to me." CJ said and laid her
head on Toby's shoulder and begun to cry.
"Why are you crying?" Toby asked.
"I'm just glad this is over with."
"You know I can't stand to see you cry. Especially when
I've done something to cause it." Toby said tightening his arm around
her.
to be continued...