"Toby, you're going to miss the plane," Ginger called after him as he
sprinted down the hall in an attempt to make his one, last, twice-
rescheduled meeting.
"No I won't," he called back. "They wouldn't dare leave without me. I write the speeches!" Darting into the room, he checked his watch. Truthfully, if this meeting ran as late as all of his other meetings, he would miss the plane. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing considering Jed's knack for choosing the most obscure and boring subject and lecturing on it for the entire plane ride.
Ginger threw her hands up in frustration. He had already sent her to his apartment to pack his suitcase with everything that he would need. It had taken her the better part of an hour to sift through his apartment and find his tuxedo crammed into the back of his closet.
She had taken it to a one-hour dry-cleaner in the hopes that they would be able to repair the damage caused by spending so much time crumpled into a ball. Then, she had taken time to find a dress for herself. Toby did owe her one after all. It shouldn't be hard to convince him that she was exactly the girl that he should take as an escort to the formal dinner. She had bumped into Donna, Cathy, Margaret, and CJ all doing the same thing. Perhaps next time, schedules should be handed out a little earlier.
To get Donna out of his hair, Josh sent her back to his apartment to pack his bags. She had reluctantly left, reminding him of an appointment, which, of course, he promptly proceeded to forget about. She cheered up though, when Josh reminded her she might need to pack a formal dress.
CJ had handed all of her briefings over to Henry to go shopping for her own gown. She had a few from her stint in Hollywood, but that was from before. This would be her first big affair as press secretary for the most powerful man in the world and she wanted to dress the part. Plus, none of her suitcases were big enough to hold everything she wanted to take.
Leo, on the other hand, wasn't worried about the party. In fact, he wasn't worried about much of anything. He last two meetings were cancelled and everything was running incredibly smoothly. The meetings he did have ended early; the mess still had some of his favourite lasagna when he wandered down for lunch; and he had a newsmagazine to read on the plane. Actually, he had free time. With an hour to go before he had to go to the airport, he leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on his desk, and tried to catch a few winks in anticipation of Jed's late-night lecture.
Sam was almost ready to tear his hair out by the roots. He was trying to draft a speech that Jed would have to give after the talks wound up. Finally he gave up. He still had five days before the draft would need to be submitted. And Jed hardly ever let anyone sleep on the plane anyway. With nothing more to do until he overcame his writer's block, and his packed bag standing ready at the door, he stretched out on his couch and drifted off into a restless sleep.
"Sam! Where are you? We're so incredibly late!" CJ threw the door to his office open with a bang and turned on the lights.
Sam sat up, blinking wildly. "Did I miss my meeting?"
"No, but we're going to miss the plane." She grabbed his coat and threw it at him. "This your bag?"
"Yeah, but CJ."
"Don't argue. We're late." She struggled to lift the small suitcase. "Ever heard of packing light?"
"Here, I'll take it." Sam took it from her, easily supporting it with one hand. He grinned at her and flexed his other arm as he started down the hall. CJ just stared after him.
"You're going the wrong way."
Outside, Leo leaned against the polished black window of the limousine and watched the two approach. "Where have you been, Sam? You get lost again?"
"No, I was in my office and didn't notice the time." He tried to leave them with the impression that he had been hard at work.
"He didn't notice the time because he was sound asleep," CJ explained, seeing through Sam's little ploy. There was no way that she was going to let him get away with it.
"Well, whenever Josh decides to grace us with his presence, we can leave. That is, if the others haven't already made it to Ottawa." Toby was not a patient man and he had already been there for the better part of half an hour.
"Where's Josh then?"
"Right here. Why are you all so early? The flight doesn't leave for nearly half an hour." Josh looked at his watch to press home his point.
"No, the flight was scheduled to leave two minutes ago." Leo looked even more annoyed as he climbed into the limo. "Your watch really sucks, Josh."
"Hey, Josh, where are your bags?" Sam stood outside, hesitating before following Toby into the car.
"Donna packed them, so they're with her. And she was probably ten minutes early."
"Couldn't we have this conversation inside the car?"
"Sorry, Leo." Sam climbed obediently into the car.
Josh had been right. Donna had been at the airport ten minutes early, complete with Josh's bags, her own bags, and copies of everything in Josh's briefcase. Ginger had been equally as early with Toby's bags and the two waited with everyone else, including Jed, on the plane for the latecomers.
When the car finally arrived, Leo continued to verbally berate them all the way to the plane, just for the fun of it. The only reason he finally stopped was because the press was within earshot.
"So, my friends, you're finally here. Were there any last minute problems?" Jed sounded mildly concerned because he knew it was unlike Leo to be late unless there was a very good reason.
"None. At least not unless you consider a deputy communications director who oversleeps and a deputy chief of staff without a functioning watch problems," Toby caustically replied as he sank into his seat and pulled out a pile of briefing memos he hadn't gotten around to reading.
"Good, I was afraid something really was wrong." Jed leaned back in his seat.
"Now, if no one needs me, I'm going back to sleep." Sam rested his head against the window and closed his eyes.
"Do I have to do anything?" CJ asked, kicking her shoes off and tucking her long legs underneath her.
"Not until right before we land. Then you've got to make sure the press has their papers ready. They probably won't check, but it wouldn't do for us to have part of the White House press corps refused entrance to Canada." Leo suddenly got the feeling that he had forgotten something, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.
"CJ, relax. The flight isn't very long." Josh looked over at Sam. "Is he asleep already?" he asked incredulously.
"No I won't," he called back. "They wouldn't dare leave without me. I write the speeches!" Darting into the room, he checked his watch. Truthfully, if this meeting ran as late as all of his other meetings, he would miss the plane. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing considering Jed's knack for choosing the most obscure and boring subject and lecturing on it for the entire plane ride.
Ginger threw her hands up in frustration. He had already sent her to his apartment to pack his suitcase with everything that he would need. It had taken her the better part of an hour to sift through his apartment and find his tuxedo crammed into the back of his closet.
She had taken it to a one-hour dry-cleaner in the hopes that they would be able to repair the damage caused by spending so much time crumpled into a ball. Then, she had taken time to find a dress for herself. Toby did owe her one after all. It shouldn't be hard to convince him that she was exactly the girl that he should take as an escort to the formal dinner. She had bumped into Donna, Cathy, Margaret, and CJ all doing the same thing. Perhaps next time, schedules should be handed out a little earlier.
To get Donna out of his hair, Josh sent her back to his apartment to pack his bags. She had reluctantly left, reminding him of an appointment, which, of course, he promptly proceeded to forget about. She cheered up though, when Josh reminded her she might need to pack a formal dress.
CJ had handed all of her briefings over to Henry to go shopping for her own gown. She had a few from her stint in Hollywood, but that was from before. This would be her first big affair as press secretary for the most powerful man in the world and she wanted to dress the part. Plus, none of her suitcases were big enough to hold everything she wanted to take.
Leo, on the other hand, wasn't worried about the party. In fact, he wasn't worried about much of anything. He last two meetings were cancelled and everything was running incredibly smoothly. The meetings he did have ended early; the mess still had some of his favourite lasagna when he wandered down for lunch; and he had a newsmagazine to read on the plane. Actually, he had free time. With an hour to go before he had to go to the airport, he leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on his desk, and tried to catch a few winks in anticipation of Jed's late-night lecture.
Sam was almost ready to tear his hair out by the roots. He was trying to draft a speech that Jed would have to give after the talks wound up. Finally he gave up. He still had five days before the draft would need to be submitted. And Jed hardly ever let anyone sleep on the plane anyway. With nothing more to do until he overcame his writer's block, and his packed bag standing ready at the door, he stretched out on his couch and drifted off into a restless sleep.
"Sam! Where are you? We're so incredibly late!" CJ threw the door to his office open with a bang and turned on the lights.
Sam sat up, blinking wildly. "Did I miss my meeting?"
"No, but we're going to miss the plane." She grabbed his coat and threw it at him. "This your bag?"
"Yeah, but CJ."
"Don't argue. We're late." She struggled to lift the small suitcase. "Ever heard of packing light?"
"Here, I'll take it." Sam took it from her, easily supporting it with one hand. He grinned at her and flexed his other arm as he started down the hall. CJ just stared after him.
"You're going the wrong way."
Outside, Leo leaned against the polished black window of the limousine and watched the two approach. "Where have you been, Sam? You get lost again?"
"No, I was in my office and didn't notice the time." He tried to leave them with the impression that he had been hard at work.
"He didn't notice the time because he was sound asleep," CJ explained, seeing through Sam's little ploy. There was no way that she was going to let him get away with it.
"Well, whenever Josh decides to grace us with his presence, we can leave. That is, if the others haven't already made it to Ottawa." Toby was not a patient man and he had already been there for the better part of half an hour.
"Where's Josh then?"
"Right here. Why are you all so early? The flight doesn't leave for nearly half an hour." Josh looked at his watch to press home his point.
"No, the flight was scheduled to leave two minutes ago." Leo looked even more annoyed as he climbed into the limo. "Your watch really sucks, Josh."
"Hey, Josh, where are your bags?" Sam stood outside, hesitating before following Toby into the car.
"Donna packed them, so they're with her. And she was probably ten minutes early."
"Couldn't we have this conversation inside the car?"
"Sorry, Leo." Sam climbed obediently into the car.
Josh had been right. Donna had been at the airport ten minutes early, complete with Josh's bags, her own bags, and copies of everything in Josh's briefcase. Ginger had been equally as early with Toby's bags and the two waited with everyone else, including Jed, on the plane for the latecomers.
When the car finally arrived, Leo continued to verbally berate them all the way to the plane, just for the fun of it. The only reason he finally stopped was because the press was within earshot.
"So, my friends, you're finally here. Were there any last minute problems?" Jed sounded mildly concerned because he knew it was unlike Leo to be late unless there was a very good reason.
"None. At least not unless you consider a deputy communications director who oversleeps and a deputy chief of staff without a functioning watch problems," Toby caustically replied as he sank into his seat and pulled out a pile of briefing memos he hadn't gotten around to reading.
"Good, I was afraid something really was wrong." Jed leaned back in his seat.
"Now, if no one needs me, I'm going back to sleep." Sam rested his head against the window and closed his eyes.
"Do I have to do anything?" CJ asked, kicking her shoes off and tucking her long legs underneath her.
"Not until right before we land. Then you've got to make sure the press has their papers ready. They probably won't check, but it wouldn't do for us to have part of the White House press corps refused entrance to Canada." Leo suddenly got the feeling that he had forgotten something, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.
"CJ, relax. The flight isn't very long." Josh looked over at Sam. "Is he asleep already?" he asked incredulously.