Sequel to "Lunch with an Enemy".
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and no copyright infringement
is intended.
Rating: PG-13 for a few naughty words and adult themes.
Pairing: CJ/Toby
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.
Summary: Sequel to "Lunch with an Enemy". Toby endures the reactions of
his coworkers as a picture hits the press...
Drinks with a Friend
"CJ!" Leo bellowed as he walked into the West Wing, a newspaper
clutched in his hand. "My office. Now. Find Toby and tell him
to get his sorry ass in here, too."
CJ, having seen the paper, smothered a smile and went to tap on
Toby's door.
"Leo's seen the picture?" Toby asked, looking up.
"Yep."
**
"May I ask why you are on the front page of the Washington Post
kissing Margaret Halloway?" Leo demanded as soon as Toby and CJ
arrived in his office. He didn't give Toby time to answer.
"God, Toby. It's bad enough that we have to keep track of Sam's
sex life. Do we have to hear about yours?"
"Leo..." CJ tried to interrupt.
"And you. You have to announce to the world that you're great in
bed? Like voters in Kansas need to know that."
"They picked up the story in Kansas?" Toby asked CJ. She just
shrugged.
"And why do I get the impression that neither one of you is
taking this seriously?" Leo snapped. "We do not need another
sex scandal. Margaret Halloway is the most powerful woman in the
Republican party..."
"Margaret Halloway is also my ex-girlfriend." Toby said quietly.
Leo stopped mid rant.
"What?"
"I used to go out with her."
"When?"
"In high school and in college." Toby replied.
"High school. College." Leo echoed. "So why were you kissing
her yesterday?"
"Peggy wanted to talk to me about something personal. When we
finished lunch and were leaving, she kissed me goodbye. That's
all."
"Peggy. You must be the only person in Washington who calls
Margaret Halloway Peggy." Leo threw his hands up in the air.
"Did you discuss politics?"
"Not directly, no."
"So what did you discuss?"
"That's off limits, Leo."
"Okay, fine." Leo sighed in defeat. "CJ, do you have a response
for this?"
"Yes." CJ nodded. "When asked, I will simply say that Toby and
Ms. Halloway are long time friends and were simply discussing old
times."
"We aren't exactly friends." Toby corrected. "And considering
our relative positions, it sounds bad."
"Fine. You write the statement." CJ snapped.
"I already did." Toby replied, handing her a piece of paper.
"Would you two get out of here? And I don't want to hear
anything else about sex and either of you again." Leo ordered.
"If you have to bring sex into the office, just have sex with
each other and be done with it. I am so tired of this crap..."
Toby and CJ eased their way out as Leo continued to mutter. CJ
ventured a glance at Toby and felt a blush start to rise in her
cheeks. Toby was looking mildly amused, but thankfully said
nothing.
**
"CJ, do you have a comment on the picture in today's paper of
Margaret Halloway and Toby Ziegler?" Naturally, it was Danny who
asked the question.
"Yes, in fact I do." CJ said composedly. "Hard as this may be
to believe, Toby and Margaret Halloway were once high school
sweethearts. They broke up many years ago over their widely
divergent political beliefs. They were simply having lunch and
reminiscing about old times."
"So they weren't discussing politics."
"Since the restaurant is still standing and Toby still has all
his limbs intact, I would think not." CJ replied. "I can't be
sure, of course, since I didn't ask the content of a personal
conversation."
**
"Widely divergent political beliefs, my ass." CJ murmured to
Toby after the briefing. "You dumped her for Andi."
"I don't want to discuss the full details of my private life,
CJ." Toby replied with dignity.
"Like the rat Peggy sent Andi?" CJ asked innocently.
"I've been meaning to ask you. How do you know about that?"
"Andi told me."
"She did?"
"Andi told me a lot of things, Toby." CJ replied dismissively.
"When?"
"After you two broke up. Once I joined the campaign, Andi used
to call me and ask me how you were doing."
"She was worried about me?" Toby sounded pleased.
"About thirty percent of the time, yeah." CJ replied. "Thirty
percent of the time she wanted to know if you had annoyed Leo
enough to get canned. Ten percent of the time she wanted to know
if you had managed to drink yourself to death and the rest of the
time she wanted to talk about fashion."
"Fashion?"
"She was running for office and she wanted to know how she looked
on television. You know, Toby. Girl stuff."
"You're a girl?" Toby looked at her in mock surprise.
"Go away before I beat you with my purse."
**
"Hey, CJ." Leo appeared at her office half an hour later, with
an apologetic look on his face.
"Hey, Leo. What's the latest disaster?"
"No disaster. I just wanted to apologize to you. I was out of
line earlier."
"You were?"
"I shouldn't have made that crack to you about... well, you
know."
"Margaret sent you."
"She overheard what I said and she looked at me with that look
she gets." Leo admitted sheepishly. "You know the one."
"Leo, are you afraid of Margaret?" CJ asked, with a laugh.
"Not exactly, but you know how Margaret gets."
"I wasn't offended, Leo." CJ assured him.
"Listen, CJ, about what I saw yesterday... Toby wasn't bothering
you, was he?"
"Margaret really got to you, didn't she? No, Leo. Toby was just
getting me back for picking on him." CJ assured him. "I've
known Toby for years, Leo. I know how to handle him. Trust me
on that."
**
Despite her airy assurances to Leo, CJ wasn't at all sure that
she could handle Toby. She'd known him for years, of course, but
he was just a close friend. A married close friend. There were
some places even the closest of friends did not go and one of
those places was Toby's marriage. Despite the number of times
she and Andrea had talked, CJ still had no idea why their
marriage failed. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure how Toby had
managed to get married at all. He wasn't any less of a pain in
the ass with Andi as he was with everyone else. As a friend,
yes, she could handle him.
As anything more, she wasn't so sure. Andrea was a strong woman,
but she had seen her reduced to tears more than once. If Andrea
couldn't handle Toby, what made her think she could?
And what made her think she even wanted to? CJ threw down her
pen in frustration. She had seen Toby and Andrea together and
had felt nothing more than a slight wistfulness. She had pegged
the wistfulness on envy; they had each other and she was still
looking. Yet when Margaret Halloway kissed Toby, her heart felt
like it was being wrung in a vise.
**
"You went out with Margaret Halloway?" Josh asked Toby as soon
as he saw him.
"About a hundred years ago, yes."
"And you never said anything?"
"Why would I? Just because you've given both Sam and me a
running commentary on your love life doesn't mean I have to tell
you about mine." Toby retorted. "I need the numbers from the
last DNC poll."
"Okay, so maybe you didn't need..."
"Or want."
"...To know about Leslie Lincoln from law school, but..."
"Josh. The numbers."
"...But Margaret Halloway?"
"Just give me the damn numbers."
"Donna!" Josh bellowed, then went back to his topic of the day.
"So you know Margaret Halloway."
"Yes, Josh." Toby's patience was exceedingly well done, if not
totally heartfelt.
"She's a major player."
"Yes, Josh."
"Maybe you could, like, talk to her."
"I did talk to her. Yesterday."
"I mean, about bill 206..."
"No."
"She's got to know what's up with the strategy."
"No."
"You have an in with her."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Three reasons. One, if I try to pump her for information,
she'll get suspicious. Two, if she gets suspicious, she'll find
out that our support for the bill is softer than we'd like.
Three, if she suspects me of trying to use her, she will
eviscerate me with a pencil sharpener. You may be willing to
sacrifice my person for the greater good of the Patent Residuals
Bill, but I am not."
"A pencil sharpener?"
"Peggy was always very creative when it came to chastising me for
something I had done." Toby said, turning to find Donna standing
there, with the polling numbers in her hand.
"Here you go." Donna handed the papers to him. Toby took them
and left. "Hey, thanks, Donna!" She yelled after him. It got
no reaction.
**
"Hey, Toby." CJ tapped on his door. "You done for the day?"
"Almost." Toby replied, not looking up. "Why?"
"We're going out for a beer. Wanna come?"
"Not especially."
"Why not? It isn't like you have a real life or anything."
"Okay."
"Okay?" CJ blinked at this unexpected capitulation.
"After such a charming invitation, how could I refuse?"
"You could have grunted something rude, like you usually do." CJ
said, as she watched Toby put his files away and pick up his
coat.
"Who's all going?" Toby asked, as he closed the door to his
office.
"Sam, Josh, Donna, Ginger, you and me." CJ replied.
"Ginger doesn't usually come to these get togethers."
"She was there when Sam mentioned it to Josh. Donna asked her to
come along. You don't mind, do you?"
"Why would I mind? I think Ginger is crazy for wanting to spend
any more time with us than she has to, but it's her life. Or
lack thereof."
**
The bar was rather nondescript, but the West Wing staff liked it
for several reasons. It was within walking distance, it had
decent food, it didn't have loud music and it had not yet been
discovered. None of the power brokers had yet found out that it
was frequented by some of the most powerful people in the
country.
Sam and Josh had already set up the table and ordered a pitcher
of beer and various munchies.
"Hey, CJ." Sam smiled at her as she took off her coat. "I see
you managed to lure Toby out of his lair."
"She asked me so nicely, I couldn't refuse." Toby replied,
draping his coat over a nearby chair.
"That worked?" Sam looked astonished.
"No. I just pointed out that he has no life, so he may as well
get drunk with us." CJ commented. "Where's Donna and Ginger?"
"They went to the ladies' room." Josh said, pouring himself a
glass of beer.
"Oh. Good thought." CJ left, heading in that direction.
"Why do women do that?" Josh asked, as Sam poured a glass for
himself and Toby sat down.
"Do what?" Sam asked.
"Go to the bathroom together." Josh clarified. "I always
wondered that. Do they pee in tandem or something?"
"It's FemNet." Toby answered, with an authoritative air.
"FemNet?" Josh echoed.
"They go in there to log onto FemNet, where they exchange every
scrap of information about the men they know. Somehow, by some
mystical or technological method, they can find out everything
about every man on earth." Toby replied, with a half smile.
"Really?"
"It's my theory as to why Andrea always knew exactly what I was
up to. Still does. She just ducks into the ladies room and logs
on to FemNet." Toby lit a cigar, poured a glass of beer and
signalled to the waitress for another pitcher.
"Oh, God. And Donna's in there." Josh groaned.
"She already knows everything about you, Josh." Toby said
offhandedly. "It's Sam that has to be worried."
"Me? Why?"
"Ginger is probably uploading everything about you right now."
Toby gave a tiny, malicious smile. "Next time Mallory goes to
the ladies' room, she'll know all about your latest gaffe."
"Which was?" Josh looked interested as Sam flushed.
"Toby... Please..." Sam begged.
"Let's just say that Evelyn Manning thinks Sam is very charming."
"Look, I didn't know she was standing there, okay?" Sam
protested.
"What happened?" Josh looked from one man to the other.
"Ask Ginger." Toby was openly smiling now. "She was there,
too."
"Ask me what?" Ginger looked brightly at Toby. Toby moved the
chair next to him out for her with his foot, but CJ slid smoothly
into it. Ginger took the chair at the end of the table, on
Toby's other side, and Donna sat beside Sam, with Josh at the
other end.
"Evelyn Manning." Josh informed her.
"Oh, that." Ginger laughed. "Sam was talking to himself. Miss
Manning came in at the tail end of it."
"What did he say?" Josh leaned forward eagerly. Sam cringed.
"Something about the sapphire blue of her eyes, I think." Ginger
said hesitantly, not sure how far she dared go.
"I was writing something, okay?" Sam burst out.
"You were writing poetry to Mallory." Toby said flatly.
"Poetry?" Josh burst out laughing.
"I think it's romantic." Donna sighed, leaning her elbows on the
table.
"I wouldn't say that, considering the quality of Sam's poetry."
Toby opined.
"You have never read my poetry." Sam said, with a touching
attempt at dignity, spoiling the attempt by adding weakly. "Have
you?"
"You really shouldn't leave scraps of paper in file folders and
then give them to me." Toby reminded him.
"You read something that was clearly personal?" Sam accused, his
face a rather becoming crimson.
"Well, how could I be sure it wasn't written to me if I didn't
read it?" Toby replied calmly.
"How do you know it wasn't?" CJ laughed.
"Last time I checked, I do not have sapphire coloured eyes, nor
flowing chestnut locks." Toby told her.
"That's for sure." Sam muttered.
"Well, I think it's sweet." Donna put in. "I wish some guy
would write poetry for me."
"Me, too." CJ sighed, carefully not looking at Toby.
"What about you, Ginger?" Josh asked. "Do you long for some
romantic, sappy mush from some guy?"
"My guy does." Ginger admitted. "He's even published some of
his verses."
"Really?" Toby looked at his assistant with surprise. "Who is
he?"
"Anders Carson."
"You're dating Anders Carson?" Toby raised his brows. "I've
read some of his stuff. It's good."
"I'll pass that compliment on to him." Ginger smiled.
"So how do you manage to even have a life?" Donna asked, with a
glare at Josh. "My boss won't even let me leave for lunch."
"Her boss is more reasonable." Toby put in.
"Reasonable? You?" CJ snickered. "I never thought I'd ever hear
'Toby' and 'reasonable' in the same sentence."
"Neither would I." Sam put in. "Ginger, what's your opinion?"
"Oh, no. I'm not getting involved." Ginger said warily. "Not
with my boss sitting right next to me."
"Nicely said, Ginger." Toby approved. "I'll bring you a danish
tomorrow."
"The right kind?"
"It's a danish, Ginger. Who cares what kind it is?"
"I do."
"At least Toby brings food to his assistant." Donna said to
Josh.
"And she brings him coffee." Josh countered. "Think there might
be a correlation, there, Donnatella?"
"No."
"Well, there is."
"So if I bring you coffee, you'll buy me pastries?" Donna
challenged.
"You want me to buy you junk food?" Josh blinked at her. "Mrs.
Landingham would kill me."
"Toby does it."
"Toby brings you pastries?"
"No, I do not bring Donna pastries." Toby put in. "I bring
Bonnie and Ginger things."
"How sweet of you." Sam grinned.
"I bring them food so they don't spent an hour out of the office
when I need them to be there."
"Slave driver." CJ laughed.
"Oh, he isn't that bad." Ginger protested.
"Yes, I am." Toby looked at her, affronted.
"Ginger, you don't have to be nice to Toby." Josh explained.
"It's after hours. Besides, I think we should have a pick on
Toby night."
"Why?" Donna wondered. "It's just as much fun to pick on you."
"I wasn't on the front page of the Washington Post kissing the
most influential woman in the Republican Party." Josh grinned.
"Sam wasn't, either."
"And I'm not likely to ever be." CJ put in.
"What happened, Toby?" Sam asked slyly. "Did you trip over
something?"
"Did you hit your head on something hard?" Josh added,
snickering. "He calls her Peggy, Sam. Can you imagine calling
Margaret Halloway by a nickname?"
"Yes, I can." Sam nodded. "After all, which is harder to
imagine; Margaret Halloway with a nickname or Toby being kissed
by her in a restaurant?"
"Yeah, I guess you have a point." Josh said, picking up the
pitcher and pouring another glass before Donna could stop him.
"I mean, you're an okay guy, Toby, but I find it hard to picture
any woman throwing herself at you."
CJ's mouth tightened suddenly.
"Don't you think you've had enough, Josh?" She snapped.
"I've had one glass, CJ." Josh looked at her with surprise.
"In other words, yes." Donna said firmly. "You have had
enough."
"Donna, do you see Ginger cutting her boss off?" Josh asked
plaintively.
"I can hold my liquor. You can't." Toby told him.
**
As the evening progressed, it became clearer and clearer that
Toby was, once again, correct. Donna gave up trying to keep Josh
from drinking, since he was being aided and abetted by Sam. Toby
had three drinks for every one Josh had, but Josh could barely
stand up and Toby seemed to be more or less sober.
"I think this was a great idea." Ginger declared, as last call
went out.
"Ginger, you're smashed." Toby pointed out to her helpfully.
"So?" Ginger said, with a great dignity. "So is the Deputy
Communications Director of the White House and the Deputy Chief
of Staff of the White House. And the Press Secretary, too. In
fact, the only one of us who isn't drunk is you and Donna."
"That's two." CJ pointed out.
"What?"
"Donna and Toby. That's two." She clarified. "And Toby's not
sober, either, so that's one."
"That's what I said."
"Oh, my God." Donna's exasperated voice broke into their
conversation. Everybody turned to see Josh taking deep breaths
and looking very green about the gills. "Okay, Sam, you take one
arm and I'll take the other."
"Why me?"
"Because you're going to throw up any minute, too." Donna said
sweetly. "You won't have so far to walk."
"Oh." Sam thought about that for a moment. "Good thought."
Donna rolled her eyes and hauled Josh to his feet. Sam got up
and took Josh's other arm and the three of them stumbled out the
back way. CJ and Toby did nothing and Ginger looked at them with
wide eyes.
"Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Yep." CJ nodded.
"We're going call Josh about something first thing in the
morning." Toby added. "Early."
"He could be really ill."
"He could be, but he isn't." CJ shrugged. "He does this about
half the time we come here. It's how we know it's time to go
home."
"Speaking of which, we should call a cab." Toby said, reaching
for his coat and his cell phone.
"How come you can still talk, Toby?" Ginger asked suspiciously.
"You're drunk."
"I can function perfectly well, thank you." He said, dialling.
"Uh, Toby..." CJ waved a hand in front of his face. "The phone
works better if you put the other end by your ear. Wait. No, it
doesn't. Sorry."
**
Josh and Sam, both looking quite a bit the worse for wear, were
sitting on the curb with Donna standing watch over them.
"I'll get these idiots home if you guys will take Ginger." She
offered.
"You're taking both of them home?" CJ looked at her two sorry
looking colleagues.
"No, I'm taking both of them to Josh's place. Then I'm going
home myself. Josh, give me your wallet."
"'Kay."
Donna extracted his credit card and turned to go inside.
"Don't let these two move." She warned Toby.
"Donna." Toby reached out a hand. "I already paid the bill and
called for a cab."
"Oh." Donna turned back.
"You can give me back my credit card now." Josh said wearily.
"Uhn-uh." Donna shook her head. "I'm not paying for the cab."
**
CJ and Toby got the cab to drop Ginger off first.
"Josh was wrong, you know." Ginger lurched drunkenly as Toby
helped her out of the cab. "You are kinda cute, in a cuddly sort
of way." She gave him an ardent hug and a sloppy kiss on the
cheek before weaving her way to her door.
Toby watched with bemusement, making sure she actually managed to
get indoors without falling. Ginger was going to regret this by
morning. Assuming she remembered any of it.
"What was that all about?" CJ asked, as Toby got back into the
cab and directed the driver to CJ's place.
"Ginger just informed me that Josh was wrong and that I am kinda
cute." Toby told her, with a wry smile.
"She's right, y'know."
"CJ, you don't have to stroke my ego." Toby replied lazily.
"I'm the sort of guy who looks a whole lot better when a woman's
got a couple of drinks under her belt."
"No, no, no..." CJ protested.
"God, Ginger's plastered." Toby continued, with a smile. "Lucky
for her, we're off tomorrow. She can be spared from my yelling
at her when she's hung over."
"Have you ever thought of not yelling at her in the first place?"
CJ queried.
"No." Toby looked at her as if she had grown an extra head.
**
"Since we are off tomorrow, wanna come up for some coffee?" CJ
offered. "After all, a gentleman always sees a lady to her
door."
"I'm not a gentleman."
"But I am a lady." CJ replied. Her dignified air vanished as
she set one foot out of the cab, slipped and ended up with
sitting hard on the ground, with one leg still inside. Neither
Toby nor the driver could prevent a surprised laugh.
"I'll see the lady home." Toby assured the driver and helped CJ
to her feet. Leaning her on the cab, he paid the driver and then
took her arm.
"I can walk." CJ pulled her arm away, overbalanced and nearly
fell.
"I think that might be putting too fine a point on it."
"You're just as drunk as I am." CJ accused. "Why aren't you
falling over?"
"I don't have as far to fall and I'm not wearing heels."
CJ spluttered with sudden giggles. The image of Toby in heels
was just too funny.
**
"Coffee?" CJ asked, once safely in her apartment and with her
shoes off.
"Sure." Toby took off his jacket and tie and threw them on the
back of the sofa. CJ put on a pot of coffee and sat on the other
end of the sofa, tucking one leg under her, laying her arm along
the back, her fingers just touching Toby's shoulder.
"You were right, you know." She said.
"I often am." Toby replied lightly. "What about this time?"
"Margaret Halloway did back you up." CJ shifted a little closer.
"Danny sent me an email with a quote from her saying that she
considers it abominable that two people who've known each other
since grade school can't have a simple lunch without people
making a big fuss over it."
"I thought she might. She doesn't need the hassle any more than
I do."
"Still, do you think you can refrain from kissing Republican
women in public restaurants?"
"I think I can manage that." Toby replied, after a moment of
mock reflection. "What about Democratic women? Is it okay if
they show their party membership card?"
"I think it might be better if you just stopped kissing woman in
public restaurants."
"Damn. And I had plans for Wednesday."
"No." CJ ordered.
"What about kissing Republican women in private?"
"That's worse than kissing them in public."
"CJ, you're kinda limiting my options, here."
"I never said you couldn't kiss Democratic women in private." CJ
suggested softly, moving closer.
"Leo didn't look terribly sanguine about me kissing you in the
privacy of your office." Toby pointed out.
"He got over it. After all, he did tell us to have sex with each
other." She smiled seductively and moved even closer to him.
"CJ..." Toby backed away until he was leaning on the arm of the
sofa, looking flabbergasted.
"I mean, if we have to bring sex into the office." CJ continued.
"And it isn't like we ever really get out of the office."
"I... I'll go get the coffee." Toby said quickly, rising and
fleeing into the kitchen.
**
CJ sat up and waited until Toby returned with two cups of coffee
and his poise back in place. CJ accepted the coffee and sipped.
"Now that we've established that kissing Democratic women in
private is okay, how about it?" CJ said briskly.
"I've already kissed you."
"That wasn't much of a kiss." CJ shook her head. "God, no
wonder Margaret had to kiss you. You're too damned slow on the
uptake."
With careful deliberate movements, CJ put her coffee cup down,
took Toby's out of his hands, put her hands on either side of his
head and kissed him.
It took a moment for Toby to respond, but when he did, she had no
complaints. His beard and mustache tickled her lips pleasantly,
but his lips were soft and ardent.
"Better?" Toby murmured when the kiss ended.
"Oh, yeah." CJ sighed and snuggled up to him, kissing him again.
When her hands began to fumble with the buttons of his shirt, he
stilled them with his own and pushed her away gently.
"CJ. I don't think this is a good idea."
"Why not?"
"You're drunk."
"I'm not that drunk." CJ protested.
"CJ. No." Toby eased away and stood up. With his back to her,
he ran his hand across his head and sighed.
"I'll call you a cab." CJ said, after a moment, her voice as
dangerously unsteady as her feet had been. "I didn't mean to put
you on the spot or anything."
"CJ..." Toby sighed again and turned back to her. CJ had her
head hanging and he heard something very much like a sniffle.
"For God's sake..."
"Toby, just forget it, okay? I thought you might want to know
that I think you're attractive and I ended up making an idiot of
myself. I've done that before and I'm sure I'll do it again.
Just put it down to me being drunk."
"I wasn't entirely kidding when I said that I look better to
women when they've been drinking." Toby said, with a slightly
bitter twist to his mouth. "Thanks for the compliment, but..."
"Ever think a woman might need a little artificial courage before
propositioning you?" CJ shot back, equally bitterly. "You don't
make it easy, y'know."
"No." Toby said quietly, all traces of bitterness gone. "No, I
don't."
"What the hell's the matter with you? You push away anybody who
wants to get close to you. Hell, Margaret Halloway wanted you
and you said no. If she's not good enough for you and I'm not
good enough for you, just who the hell is?"
"Andrea." Toby replied immediately.
"It's over between you and Andrea." CJ retorted swiftly. "How
long is it going to take before you realize that?"
"Do you know why I turned Peggy down?" Toby asked. CJ looked
confused.
"It would be a disaster?"
"Yes, it would and I don't care enough for her to try to avert
the disaster." Toby explained. "But I turned her down mostly
because I know she cares about me and I didn't want to hurt her."
"And me?"
"I care even more about you, CJ." Toby admitted. "You're my
friend and colleague and a very beautiful woman. You deserve
more than someone who can barely be civil on a good day. You
deserve someone who isn't still in love with someone else."
"Toby, at any point this evening or at any other point in any
other evening, did I say anything about a long term
relationship?"
"No."
"We both work at the White House. Neither of us have time to
have anything even resembling a social life." CJ said,
articulating very carefully. "I'm tired of sleeping alone.
That's all there is to it."
"Then why me? Half of Washington has made passes at you. You
don't have to sleep alone if you don't want to."
"I get a reputation that ruins my career." CJ pointed out. "And
who else is there? Sam? Pretty, naive Sam who can't outsmart
Mallory? Josh? Donna would kill me. Leo? Or do I go after a
guy who's smart, witty, and who knows me? Ginger was right; you
are cuddly and warm when you let someone in."
"So I'm the best of a bad lot?" One corner of Toby's mouth
turned up.
"When I saw you kissing Peggy, I was furious."
"I know. That was a potential PR problem..."
"I was furious because I wanted to be the one you were kissing."
CJ finished as if he hadn't spoke. "It all comes down to this.
I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. Does it have to be
any more or less than that?"
"No."
"Do you want to kiss me back?" CJ challenged.
Toby didn't answer in words.
**
The phone shattered the silence of the early morning.
"Toby..." CJ nudged the man sleeping next to her.
"Mmmm?"
"Answer the phone."
"It's your apartment."
"Don't care. Just answer the goddam phone and tell whoever it is
to go to hell."
CJ buried her head deeper under the pillow, praying for more
sleep. She could heard Toby's voice as he picked up the phone.
No, no, no, no, no, she screamed silently as he poked her.
"It's for you."
Sighing, CJ emerged from the bedclothes and glared impartially at
Toby and the phone receiver he held out to her.
"Yes, what is it?" She growled ungraciously into the phone.
"It's Leo." Leo's annoyingly wide awake, clipped voice came over
the wire.
"Yeah, Leo, what is it?"
"Be here in an hour. The 22nd Iraqi army reserves just
surrendered to the US forces in Kuwait." Leo said crisply. "Was
that Toby who answered the phone?"
"Yeah."
"Tell him to get in here, too." Leo ordered. "And, CJ, why is
Toby answering your phone at six AM?"
"Because he's here and I didn't want to."
"You... and Toby...?"
"You said we could." CJ said defensively, eliciting something
very much like a snicker on the other side of the bed. "We'll be
there in an hour."
**
The assembled staff looked very much worse for the wear. Sam and
Josh were both in jeans and sweatshirts, Sam's outfit looking
oddly mismatched on him. CJ surmised that he had borrowed the
clothes from Josh, Josh being almost, but not quite, the same
size. Both of them looked badly hung over.
She wasn't feeling any too perky herself. She was slightly hung
over, but mostly she resented being rousted out of a warm, comfy
bed with a warm, comfy bedmate, at such an hour.
Toby didn't seem hung over, but he wasn't any happier at being
called in.
Leo looked them over and decided to take pity on them. He knew
about their Friday night sessions at the bar. More than once, he
had wished that he could join them.
"Okay, people, let's make this quick and we can all go home
early." Leo said briskly. "Josh, get the background from State
and Defense and prepare a position paper to put this all in
context. Toby, keep on the wires and get a statement ready for
the international community. Sam, the president needs two
statements, one now and one going into more detail. CJ, as soon
as Sam is finished, you need to give the statement. Call in the
press gaggle in an hour and a half."
"I'll get calls before that, Leo."
"Hold 'em off until Sam's done. This is a tight deadline, Sam.
I want it in my hands in less than an hour."
**
CJ glanced at Ginger on the way to her office. She was sitting
at her desk, looking rather blankly at the mound of paper. At
her elbow was a cup of coffee, a danish and a small tin of
Aspirin. CJ grinned to herself.
"What?" Toby came up behind her, saw where her eyes were and
looked sheepish. "I need her to actually get some work done."
"And you say you're not an old softy at heart." She murmured.
"You're secret's safe with me."
"Did Leo say anything to you about this morning?"
"Nope. Although I wish I had been more awake when he called. I
would have handled that better."
"You did fine. What can he do to you?"
"He can fire me."
"Technically, you work for me." Toby pointed out. "Me, he can
fire."
"Are you worried about that?"
"No. Leo won't fire me until he had time to find and train a
replacement."
"Which means you'll never get fired."
"Exactly. Sam's almost finished the statement. Feel free to add
punctuation."
**
The press conference over and the prep work done, CJ slumped in
her chair, feeling somewhat hopeful that she could go home soon.
It was the middle of the afternoon and, if the fates allowed, she
could get home, make a late lunch and snuggle back under her
blankets for some much needed extra sleep. If the fates were
truly kind, Toby would be finished his prep work and could go
home with her.
"CJ? Leo would like to see you in his office." Margaret popped
her head around the door. With a sigh, CJ straightened and
picked up her jacket. Either Leo was going to let them go home
or she was about to get reamed. One or the other.
**
Okay, it was getting reamed, CJ thought, seeing who else was in
the office. Toby was standing straight, his hands behind his
back, a sure sign of belligerence.
"Just a word to the two of you." Leo said quickly. "About what
I said yesterday, I meant it. No scandals. Got it?"
"Yes." CJ nodded and looked at Toby. Toby nodded as well, very
slightly.
"I can't say as I'm too happy with this little whatever it is
that's going on between you two, but I don't want to hear any
more about it. I don't know what's going on and I don't want to.
Keep it that way." Leo continued. "And, for God's sake, don't
let Josh or Sam in on it. Those two.... Anyway, go home and get
some sleep or whatever. It's going to be a week from hell
starting Monday."
**
"Ginger, go home." Toby said as soon as he got back to his
office. "You, too, Bonnie."
"See you Monday." Bonnie said in return, getting up from her
desk with alacrity. Ginger moved more slowly.
"'Bye, Toby. I hope you and CJ have a good weekend. Or what's
left of it." She said softly, as she put on her coat. "Thanks
for the aspirin."
Toby watched her go, with a bemused expression on his face.
"FemNet. It's got to be FemNet."
END