TITLE: Trick or Treat (2/3)
RATING: G
CHARACTERS: Toby
SUMMARY: Piper goes out for Halloween
DISCLAIMER: The characters used from the West Wing do not belong to me; they are the property of Aaron Sorkin. They are only being used with what little imagination I have.
FOLLOWS: It's Time You Learn to Share
***Six***
Piper managed to lead Donovan to the bathroom but they were now lost as they tried to make their way back to Donna. "I doesn't know where we are Donovan."
"Maybe we came from that way?" Donovan asked as he pointed east.
Piper looked east and then west. She hadn't a clue as to where they were. "My candy is getting too heavy to carry."
"Mine too," Donovan agreed.
"Let's just sit down here and rest for a minute. Maybe I can think and find our way back," Piper suggested.
"Okay," Donovan took a seat on the carpet beside Piper. "I really like your costume Pipa."
"Thank you Donovan. I think you're a neat Pirate."
Donovan giggled, "I like pirates."
"I doesn't think I know any," Piper reached into her pumpkin and removed a small Aero bar. "I'm hungry."
"Me too," Donovan reached into his Halloween bag and removed a Kit Kat bar. "I love Halloween."
"Me too. Candy is my favourite. I can eats it all day long."
"It's my favourite too," he giggled as he chewed on his chocolate bar.
They finished their snack and then they both got up ready to continue on their way. "I'm scared Pipa."
Piper held her hand out for Donovan, "It's okay Donovan. I'll get us back."
***Donna***
Lilly the pink unicorn ran ahead of Donna to the table where a new group of children were currently bobbing for apples. Donna glanced around for any sign of Piper and Donovan and found none. She couldn't even find the girl she had left them with.
"Oh God no," she whispered. She spun around the room a few times, her eyes scanning the children.
"Piper?" she called out. When she didn't get a response she yelled out for Donovan. Still nothing. "This can't be happening to me," she said aloud.
She ran up to a ghost who was also Madeline from the newsroom, "Madeline have you seen a little girl dressed as Raggedy Ann and a little boy dressed as a Pirate?"
"No I'm sorry I haven't Donna."
"Okay thank you." Donna searched the children once more. She spotted Charlie who was heading her way.
"Charlie!" she screamed and waved her arm frantically. She ran up to him and out of breath asked, "Charlie have you seen Piper?"
"No. I just came from the older children and the haunted house."
"Charlie I can't find her. She was here with a little boy Donovan and I left her with an intern to take Lilly to the bathroom and when I got back here she was gone."
"Whoa Donna, slow down. What is the interns name?"
Donna opened her mouth to say but then realized she didn't know it, "I, I don't know it Charlie."
"Oh My God Donna," Charlie gasped. "How could you leave them with someone you didn't even know?"
"Well it wasn't like she was a complete stranger. She's an intern here."
"Okay where?"
"Where what?" Donna asked as tears slid down her white-caked face.
"What department was she working in?"
Donna grabbed hold of Charlie's hands, "Oh she's in the file room in the basement."
"Well I guess that's a start. Alright let's go and see if we can find out who she is and where she is."
"I've got Lilly though."
Charlie looked around and spotted Ginger with Josh walking away from their area. "Stay right here." Charlie picked up the little girl who was busy bobbing for apples. "Sorry Lilly we've got to go."
"Ginger!" Charlie called out. He held Lilly sideways and she wasn't shy about kicking and screaming as she went along for the ride.
"Ginger I need you to watch this little girl and not ask me any questions."
Ginger looked at the little girl, hesitated and finally agreed. Charlie sighed with relief, "Her name is Lilly and she likes to bob for apples."
He gave Ginger a quick pat and ran back for Donna.
***Piper and Donovan***
"Are we there yet?"
"I don't know Donovan," Piper continued to lead the way through the dark halls of the West Wing. "I think this is familiar but I doesn't know."
"It's really dark."
"I know," Piper stopped walking, shrieked and released Donovan's hand.
"Pipa don't let me go," Donovan cried.
"Hold on Donovan. I forgot my flashlight. My mommy said I had to keep it in my apron incase of 'mergencies."
"Oh I think this is one of those times," he replied too scared to look around.
Piper clicked on a small purple flashlight, "This should help us." She took hold of Donovan once again and started to go straight. They came to a staircase.
"Donovan, do you remember going up the stairs?"
"I can't remember," he whined.
Piper shrugged her shoulders as she stood looking at the stairs, "I can't either." She decided that they were going to try them and see where it lead them. It looked brighter down there than it did up where they were currently standing and she was terrified of the dark and wanted so badly to find her parents.
Together they slowly walked down the stairs. They heard laughter and so they picked up the pace and ran down the stairs as fast as their little legs would carry them.
There were a group of kids standing with an adult whose back was to them. "Well look at what we've got here." A scary looking skeleton said to his friends as Piper and Donovan approached.
"It's an ugly old doll and a lame pirate," a football player answered.
"She's not ugly," Donovan said protecting Piper. "Take that back."
"Yeah," Piper added. "Take that back."
Instead of taking it back the skeleton took Donovan's bag from his hands. Donovan instantly began to cry. "HEY!" Piper shouted. "Give that back."
The kids started laughing as they ransacked Donovan's bag. As the adult began to turn around the skeleton threw the bag back at Donovan.
"He stole his candy," Piper shouted pointing to the skeleton.
The adult looked their way, "I did not," he argued motioning to his friend the football player.
"He didn't," the football player lied.
Piper got so angry she kicked the skeleton as hard as she could. He grabbed a hold of his leg and screamed for the adult. "This little brat just kicked me."
The adult finally came over, "Where did you two just come from?"
"The bathroom," Piper answered with attitude. "He took Donovan's candy. Do something."
"I've got this," a voice said from above where they were standing. Piper glanced up to see Charlie smiling down at her.
"Charlie!" She exclaimed. "You've found us."
Donna came running down the stairs. She swept Piper up in her arms and looked her over, "Are you hurt?"
"No. But I'm mad as hell."
"Oh God Piper don't let your father catch you saying that," Donna said as she put Piper back down.
Charlie came over and told the adult she could leave and that he would take over the group of kids from here on in.
The adult left and as soon as he did Charlie spun on the skeleton and the football player, "Give the boy back his candy."
"We didn't take nothing," they lied in unison.
"Yes they did. They stole his candy," Piper shouted.
"If Raggedy Ann says you stole his candy then I believe her. Now I'm going to give you to the count of three to give the Pirate back his candy."
Reluctantly the boys began to slowly search through the bags and produced a few rockets and suckers. "They took all his chocolate bars too," Piper blabbed.
"Shut up," the skeleton said to Piper.
Charlie grabbed the bags out of both the football player and the skeleton's hands at the same time, "I'd watch what you say to her."
He held open the one bag and began to rummage it of all its chocolate bars. He then placed them in Donovan's bag. Then he did the same with the other kid's bag.
"You can't do that," they cried.
"I just did," Charlie said back not even batting an eye as he continued to place their good candy into Donovan's bag. Donovan stood there bug eyed, not believing he was getting his candy back and then some.
"Thank you Mister," he said to Charlie.
Charlie gave him a pat on the head, "No problem Pirate Man." He looked at Donna, "How about you take these two back and I'll take care of this group here."
Donna nodded and proceeded to exit with Piper and Donovan. Piper turned and stuck her tongue out at the two mean boys.
***Seven***
The door to the Oval Office and CJ flew inside fuming with rage, "Where the hell is she?"
Donna stepped before CJ and placed her hand on CJ to comfort her, "It's been taken care of CJ."
"Oh no it hasn't! Not by a long shot. Where is the little bitch? I want her in front of me so that I can put my hands on her myself."
"The President has already had her removed from the building CJ. And Piper and Donovan are fine," Leo said as he motioned towards the children who were on the floor happily eating away at their candy.
"Piper!" CJ exclaimed as she quickly ran over to her daughter. Piper got excited when she spotted her mother and even dropped her candy that she had been working hard on.
"Mommy! Look, we got all kinds of good candy. And not the cheap stuff either," Piper pointed out happily.
CJ grabbed hold of Piper and frantically began to look her over, "Baby are you okay?"
"I'm fine mommy."
CJ pulled Piper into her arms, "I'm so sorry sweetie. I should have been with you." CJ turned towards the adults, "Toby was right."
Piper wiggled her way out of her mother's arms, "Don't tell Daddy. Please don't tell Daddy."
CJ looked back at Piper, "Honey we have to tell him. This isn't something we can keep from him."
"No," Piper almost cried. "If you does that then he'll never let me go anywheres. And I is already not allowed to go back to the zoo. What if he won't let me come here either?"
"She's got a point CJ," Josh said above a whisper. "If Toby learns about tonight he's going to freak. And you know how he gets where Piper is concerned?"
"You know, both Piper and Josh have a point," Abbey told her as well.
CJ sighed, "I can't not tell him."
"Why not?" Will asked as he tried to sit down.
"Because he'd kill me," CJ replied surprised that they were even suggesting they hide what had happened tonight from Toby.
"So you bend the truth a little bit. Maybe leave out a few details, what harm can that do?"
"Sir, I can't believe you of all people would dare suggest such a thing."
President Bartlet shrugged, "Maybe I'm seeing things differently through you guys. We all know how protective Toby is over this precious little one. I can guarantee he will overact and lose his mind over this unfortunate incident. I say we tone the story down a little, make it smaller somewhat so that he can still rant and rave but then get over it and move on."
CJ looked back at her daughter who was eagerly nodding her approval, "Sounds good to me," Piper stated.
"I don't know," CJ hesitated.
"She's fine CJ. There isn't a scratch on her," Donna informed her friend.
"Where is Squareshorts by the way?" Josh asked the room.
"It's Squarepants you jerk," Donna shot back.
"Charlie's keeping him busy. We wanted to find CJ first before we alerted Toby," Leo explained.
"I think I should go and return Donovan to his mother," CJ stood up and patted Piper's wig.
"Uh CJ, where's the baby?"
"Keegan's with Margaret. I guess I should gather the men in my family and take them home too," she said to Abbey with a chuckle.
Piper and Donovan gathered up their candy and said their goodbyes to everyone. Bartlet waved the children over to his desk where he pulled out 2 medium sized baggies. "Hide these," he instructed. "So when your parents take away your candy because you've reached the sugar limit, you'll have these to fall back on."
Piper and Donovan accepted the candy gladly and departed with CJ. Bartlet was laughing when he caught his wife's eye, "What?" he asked innocently.
"Josiah Bartlet I can't believe you just did that," she reprimanded.
"As long as it's not my walls those kids are bouncing off of, why should I care?" he laughed and clapped his hands together, "Besides, any little bit I can do to help make Toby's life a tad bit harder, I sort of find that as my mission in life."