Toby nodded at the agent posted outside CJ's office before knocking on the doorframe.
She looked up, adjusting her glasses. "Yeah, Toby?"
He took the invitation to enter to enter, inhaling and twiddling his thumbs. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice low.
"What?" she sat back, removing her hands from her keyboard.
Toby spoke up this time. "Why didn't you tell me?" A pause. "About, y'know…" he waived his hand, gesturing to the agent.
"Oh, Toby—"
"CJ, I've had nothing to do all day. Why didn't you say anything?"
She sighed, obviously exasperated. "Toby, I got in, I saw the e-mail, I wasn't worried…" His eyebrows shot skyward. "Then Donna saw it before lunch and told Josh who told—well, you get it. I didn't want to make a fuss about it."
"Not 'make a fuss' about a death threat? You let me go on like that all morning and weren't going to mention a—a damn death threat?!"
CJ rose as Toby's voice did the same. "C'mon! I'm the Press Secretary for the White House and I just made an inflammatory speech about a country we're friends with in name only. It's par for the course!"
"Claudia Jean! I-"
He was cut off by Agent Donovan poking his head in, his intended meaning obvious when he asked: "Is everything alright in here, ma'am?"
She couldn't help a slight eyeroll. "Yes, thank you." He gave Toby one more look before stepping back to his place in the hall.
"CJ—"
"Toby—" they said in unison.
CJ sank back into her seat, head in hand. "I didn't want the fanfare, the entourage. I…"
"You didn't want to appear weak." Toby said knowingly, putting the pieces together. She just nodded wearily, looking up at him when he placed his hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Reasonable protection isn't weakness, it's preparedness. We need you, the White House needs you, the President needs you, CJ. Let… this guy—"
"Agent Donovan." She supplied.
"Let this Agent Donovan do his job so we can do ours, yeah? And if anyone gives you any trouble, I'll tear them apart."
She snorted at that. "Thanks, Toby."
"Yeah." He let his hand fall and turned to leave. CJ got up too, walking him to the threshold of her office, leaning on the frame.
"Seriously, thank you."
"I'm here for you. Always." His voice was low again as he quirked a smile before walking away.
She smiled softly at that, giving herself a moment.
"Hey, secret agent man?"
"Yes, Ms. Cregg?"
"If you worry every time someone yells in my office, you're going to drop dead from hypertension before you get a chance to save my life."
Donovan chuckled slightly.
"Now, screaming is a different story." She said, wryly smiling as she went back to her desk, finally feeling better (but not pleased—certainly not pleased) about the whole debacle.