Joshua Lyman leans back in his seat, staring at the laptop that is open in front of him. He sighs, hesitantly raising his hands to begin to type again. His mind is still back in New Hampshire, listening to the person an old friend of his father, Leo Mcgarry, was supporting for president speak. Bartlet, he reminds himself the man's name is. Josiah Bartlet. He flips back to the other tab he has up on his laptop, where he has been researching the man, listening to some of his speaking arrangements. What had truly gotten his attention was the way the man had answered the dairy farmer. He sighs, closing the laptop and leaning his head back against the seat and thinking of his conversation with Sam only the day before. I...I think this is the real deal. But how am I supposed to know? For all I know, next month this guy will turn into what Hoynes is doing. But something in the back of Josh's brain leaves him shaking his head at this argument. Leo was a good friend of his father's, but he was also a good man and, somehow, Josh trusts what he has to say. He goes to open an email, but finds himself unable to write more than "Hey, Sam," before closing it again and opening up a tab to look at airline tickets to Washington from New Hampshire, than one for the next day from Washington to New York. The next email he opens is to Leo. "I'll see you in two days. Might bring a friend with me, he's a lawyer and speech writer who I've worked with in the past." The email goes on for over a page, but he barely notices, too afraid of what Hoynes is going to say to him the next day.
The sky is cloud-covered as Josh hurries down the very busy street in Washington D.C. Leo had said that they would take all the hands they could get, after he had gone on a firing spree the day before, and that he was looking forward to seeing him in a few days. Josh was on his way to give Hoynes his letter of resignation. The next day, he would be hopping onto a plane to New York and seeing if Sam would join him. He really, really hoped that he would. He missed working with Sam. When he finally gets to Hoynes office, Josh seriously, seriously hopes that Hoynes won't see him and he can just leave the letter with the secretary. Unfortunately, that goes out the window when Hoynes sees him and storms over to him. "We've been trying to call you all morning where were you!" He demands, glaring down at Josh, who is actually trying not to quiver in fear. "I went to New Hampshire on my day off, Sir. I was flying back this morning and I just got here a minute and a half ago. I um...I need to give you this." Josh shoves the letter at Hoynes and, as soon as the other man takes it, turns and abruptly walks out, ignoring Hoynes yelling after him. He has to pay the final rent on his appartment, find a hotel for the night, and hope that his now-former boss wasn't too mad at him.
The plane lands in New York and it is full on thunderstorms. Josh is shivering like a wet cat, gripping his suitcase in one hand with his backpack on his back. He has finally managed to find his way to the law firm that Sam works at, and realizes, not for the first time, that he really is scared Sam will elect to stay in New York instead of coming with him to New Hampshire to meet up with Leo and Bartlet and that other speech writer guy who was with them. Toby or Tony or something. He crosses all of his fingers, takes a deep breath, and walks into the building.
Sam is sitting in silence in the cab. His eyes are locked on the scenery outside the window, all of his belongings in the box on his knees. "Josh I swear to god, you did tell them I was coming, right. I broke up with Lisa for this!" He doesn't mention that he and Lisa had been fighting for months, or that it never would have worked in the first place, but he doesn't because he knows that Josh already knows all of that. "This guy is the real deal, Josh?" I can feel Josh nod from where the other man is sitting next to him and sighs, exhaling and shifting so his head is resting against the cold glass window. The New Hampshire landscape is speeding by them, both men enjoying the comfortable silence of the other's company until they finally reach the bottom of the driveway of the small office building that Leo had directed him to go to. Josh gets out first, grabbing his backpack and suitcase. He and Sam squabble for a few moments over which of them is going to pay, before Josh just shoves Sam out of his way and pays while the other man is getting his balance. "Oh cmon, Josh! That hurt!" Sam complains as they walk slowly up the driveway to the office building. Sam was moving awkwardly. "Hey, Sam? You ok?" "Oh, yea, just fell out of a boat during a race last weekend. Twisted knee pretty bad." Josh sighs, not believing him and more than a little glad that he had gotten Sam away from her, silently grabbing Sam's box and tucking it under his free arm. Sam glances down at his feet, but the pain in his movements has lessened, so Josh is ready and willing to do this and get the box up this hill for Sam.
They stop halfway up, sitting down on a bench with a sigh. Sam stretches his leg out with a pained groan, Josh leans sideways to rest his head and upper body against Sam. He doesn't miss Sam's flinch when he does, and silently plots the best ways to get revenge for his best friend. "Missed you, Sammy." Sam smiles slightly, tossing an arm over the other man, knowing that they'll have to discuss this eventually, but not really caring. "Cmon, I'm interested to meet this friend of yours, and Toby. He's a brilliant speech writer, you know. I've always admired his writing." Josh nods, helping Sam to his feet and trying to balance the backpack, box, and suitcase. Sam hesitates, moving to help, but Josh gives a hard shake of his head as he glares at Sam. "No, Samson, no way in hell."
Leo meets them at the top of the hill, smiling when he sees Josh. "Joshua Lyman, I was worried you would never get here!" Josh puts the box and suitcase down on the ground so he can embrace Leo for a moment, before Leo moves back to size Sam up. The younger man takes a tentative step forward, offering out his hand. "Hi. I'm Sam Seaborn." Leo nods, studying him for another second. "Alright boys, c'mon in. Joshua, give me one of those things you don't have enough hands. Why isn't he carrying something?" Josh sighs, freeing up a hand to grab Sam's arm. The darker-haired man howls in agony, yanking free and all but buckling over. Pain flashes in Leo's eyes for a moment before he nods, taking Sam's box from where Josh had put it down and leading the boys inside. "Alright, cmon boys." They follow Leo inside, glancing around the makeshift headquarters. "Ok, firstly Leo, we need to get out of this building." Leo snorts. "Good luck with that, Josh. We need to get out of the STATE, but he's not too ready for that he's never campaigned outside of New Hampshire." Josh nods, Sam glancing around.
Toby is watching them from across the room, his sharp eyes noting the awkwardness of the black-haired man's stride, the way his left arm is tucked closer to his body than most would have by default. He won't say anything, he decides, but he does make a mental note to keep an eye on the young man. He's read a bit by him, he's not a half bad speech writer, but something about the trembling young man surprises him. He already looks so confident when speaking. Sam hesitantly approaches him, head down, movement slow and wary. Toby moves to offer out a hand, surprised at the strength in Sam's handshake, considering how hard the boy was shaking. "I'm Sam." Toby nods, jerking his head towards the back room he has claimed as his to work in. Sam scuttles after him, his box resting in the crook of one arm. Toby jerks his head at an empty table and Sam nods, gratefully setting the box down and all but collapsing into a chair against the wall. Toby stares at him for a moment before actually speaking. "I'm Toby. I'm apparently now your boss. I've read some of your writings and they're not bad. We are working on a speech about immigration." Toby is sitting at his laptop now, copying Sam into the document. A few minutes later, he looks over at Sam, getting annoyed when he sees the boy is still staring at the ground. "Sam!" He snaps, immediately regretting it when the boy jerks backwards, eyes wide and scared. He regathers himself in a moment, but that moment of terror would stay with Toby for a while. "Why aren't you working?" Sam glances at his feet, then whispers softly, "Don't have a computer, sir." Toby can't hide the surprise in his eyes, then he sighs and nods, standing to leave the room for a moment. Sam moves to follow him, then decides against it when his leg buckles under him. Toby returns about twenty minutes later, carrying a laptop box, which he hands to Sam. "Well? Get that thing up and get writing." Sam grins despite himself, opening the box to start setting the laptop up. "Toby?" He asks timidly, feeling Toby's eyes on him. "Thank you."