Anticipate Their Needs
"Woah!" Sam said behind her, a weekend and a few days after she got her desk 'upgrade.' Addy spun in her new swivel chair to see him standing with one finger pointing at her absently, as if trying to remember what used to be there.
"File cabinets," Addy supplied for him. "So, not much of a change."
That animated Sam, who walked towards her, wagging his finger in a definitive 'no.' "You are knowledgeable and good at organizing words in a pleasing way-"
"These aren't just any file cabinets, Sam. These are White House file cabinets. I'm cool with the comparison."
"This is good," he told her. "The other location was a bit too close to being overheard by the press sometimes. I'm glad you're here."
The State of the Union was in less than a week, so part of her job over the next few days was looking over the smaller things the White House sent out to ensure nothing stole thunder from the big speech. It was humbling to feel trusted enough for that, even knowing that the bigger stuff was handled by senior staff.
It also made her chum for Concannon again, enough to make her grateful she wasn't at her old desk, for fear of what he might find if she chose to print out her assignment for Zeigler. Addy knew she'd used up all her luck when Danny didn't get any proof that she'd written the speech. Better not to print this document at all, given the implications in the press if anyone got ahold of it. The concept of taking a position you would never swear to in court just to illustrate its flaws was just too complicated to explain away in a headline.
Nervously, Addy saved the file to her thumb drive and then deleted it from the computer, navigating to the settings to run the defragmentation program. That wouldn't wholly erase all evidence of its existence, but the action made her feel better.
"Shit, what was I thinking?" she muttered under her breath.
"Tell me that's not a reaction to something you just sent offsite?" Zeigler asked gruffly from behind her.
Addy didn't turn around. "No, but it would apply if I had. I think I followed your assignment for that position paper a little too closely." She pulled the thumb drive out and stared at it, fully aware that she was being rude by not facing her boss. "Let's just pretend I failed, and forget all-"
Before she could finish the sentence, Zeigler snatched the drive right out of her hand.
It took so long to get out of her cramped position at her new desk that he was in his office with the door shut when she finally got over there. Addy stopped short of knocking, standing there with her face scrunched by regret.
"You going in?" Sam asked behind her.
"I-"
"Addy!" Zeigler called out from inside. It was the first time he'd shouted her name instead of Bonnie or Ginger's. Sam reached over and opened the door, shoving it wide so that Addy was revealed to already be standing there.
"Oh, that was cold," she grumped at Sam.
"Are you kidding me with this?" Zeigler asked her, gesturing at his screen.
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Toby wouldn't have hollered her name if he'd known she was already making her way over, but he probably should have known better. The trepidation on her face was appropriate, whether it was related to his tone or her project.
"Promise me the fallout from this won't put me in another expensive suit at a dinner party? Please?" Sam groaned, resting a hand on either one of Addy's shoulders and force-marched her into the room.
"It's a position pap-" Toby started to say.
"In my defense," Addy interrupted him, "you told me to pick something that you would never-"
"-arguing against free speech!" Toby spoke over her, still stunned despite being impressed by her audacity. He hadn't read much of it yet, but the damned thing didn't pull any punches. It was different in style from the two versions of the speech Bartlet had ended up giving, which made sense. Addy Blair was clearly very good at her job.
"Wait, really? Lemme see!" Sam asked, moving to step around the desk to get a better look.
Toby turned his monitor so Sam couldn't see it, and started reading one of the first arguments. "'The emergence of the internet into our modern landscape brings with it the notion of vitriolic anonymity. As access expands, we move from high-minded educational institutions with conduct guidelines into murkier waters, where corporations and even the government may be called on to monitor conduct online. How can we keep our citizens safe from harm while maintaining our ideals of free association and speech?'"
Addy's face had gone pale. "Sir-"
"My favorite part is the next two paragraphs where you explain what free speech is and is not!" he said, shutting off the monitor entirely and pushing his chair back from the desk. "You think I could work here and be unaware that most Americans think 'free speech' isn't actually tied to the government at all?"
Toby knew he sounded furious, but that was mostly to scare her straight. Every so often a staffer would come up with something that pushed administration norms in a way that would look very bad to anyone outside the West Wing. This certainly qualified.
"At least fifteen percent of our hatemail is about how the President should come down hard on XYZ Message Board for banning someone and therefore violating their Free Speech rights," Sam sighed.
Addy lifted her chin. "I think it's disingenuous to write something like this under the assumption that everyone who will read it thinks like we do, Mr. Zeigler. There is no point unless I go all-in."
Toby exchanged glances with Sam, noting that Addy's confidence was wicking away with the sweat that had started to develop at her hairline. Finally, he twitched his lips to stop himself from actually smiling, and said, "Breathe. I've only read the first page, and it's good. It took guts to risk something this outrageous. Just promise me you didn't print the thing?"
"That's the only copy. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't think about the consequences until I was finished and read it over- that's when I copied it onto the thumb drive and deleted it from the computer."
"The computer that isn't even yours anymore? Or the computer you share with another staffer?" Toby asked, widening his eyes.
Addy ran her fingers over the braid in her hair a few times as she winced apologetically. "If I end up having to fall on my sword over this, I'm ready."
Toby recognized her self-soothe gesture because he was in the midst of his own. "That would depend on who found it-"
"-and whether someone needed to make political hay out of the egg on our face. Those papers are a pretty normal way to see both sides of an issue," Sam said, coming over to stand beside her. "I told you about my issue with Mallory to warn you off, not for you to top it," he teased.
Addy managed a weak smile. "Task failed successfully?"
"You're forgiven. Now scram, I'm busy trying to uphold the ideals of the nation, despite your best efforts," Toby told her, opting for a shoo gesture. She scurried out, shutting the door behind her.
Sam whistled under his breath. "How long is it?"
"Three pages."
"Donna told me Addy applied to work for Shallick last election cycle, recommended by his media guy. They went to college together." Sam let the statement hang in the air for a few minutes, but Toby didn't know what to say. His feelings were untenable, and his fears about the unknown unknowns in the coming campaign were rising- but to think of Addy Blair working for a political hack like Shallick was beyond the pale. He scratched the top of his head in consternation for a few more seconds.
"Maybe we should send some flowers to Joey Lucas."
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State of the Union Day
Addy had promised she'd try to stop by the National Strategies Group location so she could see Joey Lucas before the State of the Union 'postgame' was over, but she'd completely forgotten Capitol Beat would be set up at the White House. She was grateful she'd worn her most professional suit in case they showed a wide shot she might be included in, but she kind of hoped they didn't. They'd all put in a twelve hour day before the President was even set to give the speech.
Zeigler and Sam had been adding and tweaking and removing things from the 'final draft' of the text just about non-stop for the last two hours, most of it important enough that they'd had her running around touching base with people like Leo, CJ, and notably once, the President himself. Now the lot of them were mostly in the same place, and Addy was finishing off her fifth water bottle of the day, just glad the end was in sight.
She was on her way to get rid of the bottle when Sam snagged her arm as she walked past him. "Can you get me one of those?"
"Aren't you about to leave?"
"Yeah, so you'd better hurry," Zeigler added, frowning at the binder in front of him.
Sam looked over at her as she walked past. "Addy, d'you think it's too Bartlet to use 'blinders?'" She smiled and shrugged (on orders from Zeigler not to give any opinions today), and was almost out of earshot when she heard the reply.
"It's just right, and she's busy, Goldilocks."
It didn't take Addy very long to locate two more bottles, but she swatted Zeigler's hand away when tried to snatch one from her grip. Tucking Sam's into her outer jacket pocket, she opened Zeigler's, dabbing the water from the cap with her sleeve so it wouldn't drip on the table and risk getting the precious pages wet, and held the bottle out to him, careful not to hover over the binder.
"He gets one first? He didn't even ask!" Sam griped good-naturedly as she prepped his.
"He outranks you."
"Damn straight," Zeigler smiled, capping his bottle after drinking fully half of it in a few seconds. "You should teach CJ how to do that, there's a water spot on last years' final version."
"I'd rather strangle myself with my own bare hands, but thanks," Addy quipped back at him, earning an almost smile. Two watch alarms started beeping, and both men started to gather up their things to leave. "It's a really good speech, you two. Congratulations."
"Thanks," Sam smiled. Zeigler just pressed his lips together.
She couldn't let her misstep pass, so as the advance team started to move out to head for the Capitol, Addy stepped up to Zeigler's side and whispered, "I know, I know. Praise it after everything goes well. I forgot."
He actually reached out and briefly squeezed her hand. "Sam needed that, so you're forgiven. It's not finished yet, anyway." The touch was so quick she didn't have a chance to react before he was rushed out the door, but the intent lingered, as did the genuine half smile he'd favored her with before walking away. For the oddest reason, she felt heat in her cheeks as though something improper had happened, even though she knew it hadn't. That thought made her think the way Josh looked at Donna sometimes.
The whirlwind of activity picked up again, with Leo stalking into the room and hollering about something. Addy gathered everything the speechwriters had left behind to deposit back in their offices. CJ would need her down in the press room to monitor the mood, so she had to hurry.
Her phone was ringing when she got there. It was Donna.
"He is losing his mind, Addy. Have you heard from Joey?"
"She's not there yet? Well, I'm sure it's not on purpose," she told her friend. In the background, Addy could hear Josh ranting but she couldn't make out the words. "Do you need me to dig through the press's bags while they're busy and see if anyone's got sedatives?"
"Be careful, they'll print that instead of the speech stuff tomorrow and we'll all get fired! CJ and Toby would fight each other to see which one of them gets to string you up by your thumbs. Actually, you know what? That image is exactly what I needed right now, thank you."
"Perfect. For the coup de gras, tell Josh that Zeigler joked I should teach CJ how to hand him water bottles for next year, that ought to cheer him up."
"Oh my gosh, really? That's just the thing. Chat later!"
Donna hung up without letting Addy say anything else, which was good, because she'd almost mentioned Zeigler's odd hand grab, for some reason. Bringing that up didn't make any sense at all.
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It was dark in his office. Dark, and blessedly quiet. It wouldn't last; within a half hour the area would fill up with people as they trickled back in from the gathering to celebrate the SotU. Sam was downstairs schmoozing as planned, which gave Toby twenty whole minutes to himself to hide and decompress. He hated that his best work always put him in a position to make nice with so many people, but that was the nature of the job. At least with seniority came the privilege to hide for a short while.
He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back with his eyes closed, fingers interlaced. The President had delivered the speech well, though his emphasis on certain points made Toby wonder if he was sending an additional message, without making clear what that message was. Suddenly, the concern about Hoynes' strange behavior, the kerfuffle with Ann Stark, and the President's new combative stance all coalesced into something Toby could almost put his finger on.
As often happened in those moments, every little discomfort and sound became magnified, and he sat up to massage his left hand. The ring he still wore there had been bothering him more and more lately, but the symbolism inherent in removing it -and the invasive questions that might arise- had stopped him from leaving it off in the mornings. Not for the first time, Toby wished he'd just taken it off at the beginning of his acquaintance with Addy Blair. Back then, he couldn't have known how far his feelings would develop, and he would have had plausible deniability.
Now? Now if he stopped wearing his wedding ring, there would only be one reason.
A noise just outside the door caught his attention, and Toby got up to make sure it wasn't a gumshoe reporter who 'got lost' on purpose to snag a scoop for the next news day.
It wasn't. It was Addy Blair.
Toby had moved quietly enough that she hadn't noticed him, and he stood still, watching her as she went from desk to desk, checking to ensure that nothing was out of place or at risk. They were on the same page, it seemed.
She'd changed her blouse and her shoes, the former to a neutral color instead of the teal, and the latter to stilettos instead of the flats that had let her zoom around the West Wing at his and Sam's bidding all day. He wondered what her height would be next to him in heels and recognized that as an unprofessional query. It was time to drift back into the shadows of his office and ponder his Presidential dilemma a bit longer before the metaphorical firing squad of praise downstairs.
Toby was just settling back into his chair when the light flipped on and Addy walked in.
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry!" she gasped, immediately turning the light back off.
She'd instinctively known that darkness was what he needed.
"Don't worry about it," Toby said quietly. "I'm almost out of 'hide' time anyway."
"There's never enough time for that, is there?" she murmured. Then, louder, "Not to contribute to that feeling, but do you know about the policeman?" As she spoke, she stepped forward and laid a folder on his desk, probably the reason she'd been coming in.
"I do, thank you."
"CJ's going to pull him aside before he has a chance to approach the President; Sam got to her right as she finished her Capitol Beat segment. The First Lady was just stepping forward to speak, downstairs, and there might be something else going on with Leo, but I couldn't say for sure."
"I appreciate it," he told her, maintaining his quiet, reassuring tone.
Addy let her arms drop to her sides. "Okay, you're starting to freak me out."
"And why is that?" Same tone, for fun this time.
"Are you flooded with job completion serotonin or something? You're barely irascible."
He smiled at her. "You should see me after we win the next election."
"Darnit, Zeigler, what-"
"Toby," he said, standing. It had only just occurred to him that they were alone in his office with the light off. She was so familiar to him that he could picture her perfectly even without seeing her expression.
"What?"
"My name," Toby reminded her, walking around his desk to stand in front of her. The column of light from the open door fell between them as she turned to face him. Addy was taller in the heels, so much so that she could almost look him in the eyes. He liked that. "You use everyone else's, even Leo, these days. But not mine."
She'd seemed intimidated at first, but at the name of her crush Addy relaxed and rolled her eyes, which was… illuminating. "I don't call the President 'Josiah,' either. You're my boss, and that means-" His watch went off to denote the end of his twenty minutes' break, interrupting her. "-that means you have somewhere to be," she amended, nodding down at his wrist.
"That I do. Go on, I'll stomp out in a moment." Her gentle laugh as she shut the door made him close his eyes in the dark just to listen. Then, before he could change his mind, Toby reached down to tug off his wedding ring, slipping it into his pocket in case he caught someone looking sideways at his hand.
When Toby walked into the ballroom minutes later, he noticed a different kind of tension in the air than what he'd left behind upstairs. Abbey Bartlet did not look happy as she spoke with Leo, despite the smile on her face. He recognized that smile and braced himself.
Minutes later Toby had an appointment in a half hour for a dressing down that might be related to the conundrum about re-election that he kept coming back to- and between then and now, he had a date with Capitol Beat. Great.
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Addy spent the next twenty minutes keeping as busy as she could in the bullpen area, because the alternative was examining just what about her encounter with Toby Zeigler had her so off balance. She couldn't stop thinking about that calm, measured voice he'd used-
From somewhere nearby, she heard Zeigler's voice again. Addy spun around and searched for him, eyes lighting on the television that was broadcasting the continuing coverage from Capitol Beat live as they filmed it downstairs. Zeigler was correcting Congressman Shallick, using the same reasonable tone he'd used with her- but there was a tinge of a threat there, this time. The host let him have the last word as they broke for commercial, and someone behind her said, 'That's right!'
She wondered what they'd think of her if any of them knew she'd almost accepted a job to work with the guy. To chase that thought away, she sat down at her desk to check her messages, hoping to hear from Donna. A minute or two later, Toby power-walked past her and into his office. It wasn't until she heard the recognizable voice of the First Lady that Addy even remembered she'd seen Abbey Bartlet walk in a good fifteen minutes before.
The two of them sounded upset, or at least, FLOTUS did, but that was manifestly not Addy's business, so she turned her body away from the still-open door and listened to Donna's increasingly annoyed voicemails about polling, Josh, Joey, and her friend's attempts to fix the two J's of her life up together.
Donna couldn't be serious, could she? It was clear to Margaret and Addy, if not the whole West Wing, that Donna Moss had some more-than-professional feelings for her boss… but it wasn't like that was something the two could act on anyway, was it? There were actual policies, maybe even laws about that, not that Addy had ever looked them up. Not after confessing her partiality for Leo to Zeigler during her first week of work at the White House! It wouldn't have been a good look.
She set the receiver back down in its cradle and spent five seconds listening for her boss's voice to see if the two were done with their 'meeting' before realizing that was what she was doing. Since when did she need to be attuned to his moods?
Addy filed that thought into the rapidly expanding folder of Things To Think About Later and refocused on the last things to deal with on this most important of days.
