TITLE: "Queendegarten" (1/5)

RATING: A
CHARACTERS: Piper and the gang

SUMMARY: It's time for Piper to begin school

POV: Toby's

DISCLAIMER: The characters used from the West Wing do not belong to me; they are the property of Aaron Sorkin.

FOLLOWS: Go Team Go

**1**

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Toby it's time," my wife argued.

"No way. She's too young."

"To vote yes but not for this and you know it."

CJ and I had been arguing passionately for the past ten minutes about whether or not Piper was ready to begin Kindergarten. As you can see I am obviously against it. My wife however has a different opinion.

I took a small step forward and placed my hand on my hip. "She's not ready."

"She's not ready or you're not ready?" CJ gave me a sheepish grin. She had me and she knew it.

I sighed, "Can't we just skip this year? I mean what is she really going to miss? Eating glue?"

CJ relaxed a bit and smiled her beautiful smile; "I know this is hard for you Toby."

I began to moan, "You have no idea." I backed myself up to my recliner and flopped down sighing heavier this time.

"It's not like she's off to college."

I looked CJ's way, "Is this how you cheer people up? Because you suck at it."

CJ ignored my comment, a habit I have grown quite used to in the past year or so. "I'm going to take her school shopping tomorrow. Would you like to come with us?"

"Tomorrow? I haven't even agreed to this yet."

CJ puffed out a small mouth of air, "I hate to break it to you but whether you agree or not she's attending school. The decision isn't up to you. It's the law."

"The law?" I said mocking her.

"Yes. She is required to attend Kindergarten at her age."

"My nephew didn't start school until he was five," I argued.

"And Hogan started at the same age as Piper. She's four and a half and she fits the criteria because she was born within the beginning of the school year."

"Well that's just great," I said throwing my hands up for dramatic flair. If only her mother had just held on for seven more days I wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

"What is it exactly that scares you Toby?" CJ asked me gently.

"I'm not scared about anything," I snapped back quickly.

"You lie about as well as your daughter," CJ replied as she turned to leave the room.

"I do not," I mumbled to myself.

**The next day**

"I'm going to school today," Piper sang as she entered the kitchen.

"No not today sweetie. Today we're going school shopping."

I was sitting at the table reading the paper while CJ was preparing breakfast. This was our regular Saturday routine. Keegan was still asleep so the house was pretty quiet.

"Why can't I go to school now?"

I moved the paper out of my view so that I could look at CJ while she was being quizzed by Washington's future reporter.

"Well," CJ began flipping over the pancakes. "Before you go to school you have to go shopping first for school clothes."

"So when we get back from shopping today I get to go to school?" Piper asked CJ.

CJ looked my way for help but I quickly put the paper in front of me again to block her view of me. I wasn't getting into this one. She was on her own. This whole school thing was her brilliant idea.

CJ walked over to the calendar that was hanging on our kitchen wall and pointed to today's date, "You see this date?"

Piper nodded her head, "Okay that is today's date." CJ then flipped the month of August over to September's and pointed to another date, "And this date here is the one where you will begin school."

Piper's smile faded as she began to realize what it was her mother was telling her, "You mean I has to wait a whole year before I can go to school?"

"Yes!" I practically shouted.

"No," CJ said at the same time I was saying yes. Piper spun around to me and CJ gave me a nasty look. I coughed to clear my throat. "Sorry I got excited," I said trying to cover up.

"About what Daddy?" My nosy child inquired.

"Uh, uh I was excited because um, um," my eyes quickly darted across the newspaper. "Because dog food is on sale," I lied.

"Really?" Piper exclaimed her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Daddy you should go and tell Barbie and Crikey about that. I bet they'd be excited too."

I nodded at Piper's suggestion, "Yeah I'll get right on that."

Piper turned her attention back to CJ, "How many days till I get to go to school?"

CJ went back to the calendar and counted, "19 including the weekends."

A huge smile overtook my child's face as she gasped, "19 days."

The phone rang and CJ answered it on her way back to the stove. From her end of the conversation I already knew what the outcome was. She had to go to work.

She hung up and looked at me sadly, "Please tell me that I'm not needed."

"No they just want me," she glanced down at Piper. "Oh baby Mommy is so sorry."

"Why?" Piper asked her confused.

"Because Mommy just got called into work and she has to go. So mommy can't take you shopping now."

Piper looked up at CJ with her big blue eyes, tears welling quickly. "But I need new clothes," she sniffled.

"I know you do baby. But you've got 19 days before school begins and that leaves a lot of time to go shopping still."

"I got an idea," Piper said suddenly happy.

"What?"

"Why doesn't Daddy take me?"

CJ started laughing, which I took as insulting. I began to fold the paper as she placed the pancakes on the table. She was still laughing.

"You find her suggestion amusing?"

"Oh come on Toby even you should be laughing at such a thought."

"Why? It's not like I'm new to them. They are my children too."

"Toby you have a hard enough time loading them into the car by yourself and now you think you're brave enough to bare the mall?"

I hadn't planned on taking Piper to the mall at all. But since CJ was suggesting that I couldn't do it I was even more determined to do so.

"Josh is coming over to help me work on the fence. I'll get him to come with me."

CJ began to laugh again, "Oh this is too much. You and Josh are going to take Piper and a 7 month old baby to the mall to shop for girl's clothes? Is there anyway you can have this recorded for my viewing pleasure?"

"Very funny CJ," I said with attitude.

"Just the idea of you and Josh alone going to a mall is amusing. Never mind adding two children to the mix."

"Don't you have to get ready for work?"

Piper filled her mouth with pancakes and tried to ask, "So who is taking me to shop?"

"I am," I replied digging into my own pancakes.

"I'll warn the mall ahead of time," CJ said winking at me.

I waited for her to look back at me and then I went out of character and stuck my tongue out at her. I'll show her how easy it is to shop for clothes.