"Henry!" Jed walked in and smiled. "How are you?"
"Umm.Good Mr. President," Henry jumped up. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you."
"I thought I'd surprise you," Jed smiled.
"What can I do for you sir?"
"Well, first of all, I'm sorry about what happened with Ritchie."
"Thank you," Henry nodded.
"I was surprised that he would just fire you," Jed shrugged.
"Well, it was for the best," Henry looked down.
"You don't sound to sure about that Henry," Jed mentioned.
"I'm sorry sir, but I thought you were supposed to be having a meeting with Robert right now," Henry said.
"I did, but I'd much rather meet with you. You see Henry, I've been a fan yours for a while. I like your ideas, I like your idealism."
"Thank you sir," Henry nodded. "That means a lot."
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened with you and Ritchie?"
"Well, he believed that I was stealing some of the campaign money for personal use."
"Were you?"
"No sir. We were at our weekly meeting. Ann Stark had come in and introduced herself to Robert and hung around for a while. She was looking at some of the estimates of our monthly income and said she noticed some decreases. After an hour long argument, she went searching in the back room and reappeared with a check that was made out to me for the amount of $50,000.00."
"That's a lot of money," Jed seemed to be shocked. "What happened then?"
"I swore on everything that I didn't do it. But Ann pointed out my signature at the bottom of the check. Mr. President, I would never do that to a friend. That was not my signature," Henry looked down and shook his head. "I'm sorry I'm bothering you with this."
"Henry," Jed smiled. "How would you like your job back?"
"How?" Henry asked.
"Trust me," Jed smiled.
NEXT DOOR
"Where is he Toby?" Ann asked. Everyone was gathered around a large table waiting for the President. Bartlet's staff on one side, Ritchie's staff on the other.
"I have no idea," Toby shrugged, as he winked over to Sam and CJ.
"This is not making me happy," Ann said.
"Brilliant!" Robert Ritchie yelled. "What is this called again?"
"Mr. Packman," Sam smiled.
Ann rolled her eyes as Ritchie played with Sam's hand held game.
"I'm not very happy," Ann said again.
"You said this already," Toby said.
"I'm so sorry," Jed walked in. "Robert Ritchie!" Jed smiled and shook his hand.
"Mr. President, it's nice to see you," Ritchie smiled. He noticed Henry had followed him in. "What are you doing here?" Ritchie asked.
"I asked him to come," Jed smiled. "Why don't we all sit down?"
"Yes sir," Everyone nodded and sat.
"I just had a discussion with Henry, and he seems to be a very nice guy," Jed smiled. "So I was curious on why he got fired."
"Well sir." Ritchie started.
"I heard the story," Jed stopped him. "CJ, would you please continue?"
"Yes sir," CJ smiled and stood. "In this folder, I have a check for the amount of $50,000.00. Now, it's made out to Henry Anderson and signed by Henry Anderson," CJ mentioned and held the check up.
"What is this, the live version of 'Clue'?" Ann asked sarcastically.
"Shut up," Jed snapped.
"Anyway. Senator Ritchie, Henry is a good man sir. I for one don't want him to lose his career so someone else can get ahead," CJ glared over at Ann. "Sir, if you look at these two signatures," CJ put down the check that everyone said Henry signed, and then put down another check that Ann signed next to it. "They look amazingly alike."
"Yes," Ritchie looked down at them. "They do."
"Sir, if you ask some other people on your staff about this signature, you'll come to find out that Ann Stark signed this check to make you think Henry was stealing money from you."
"You didn't sign this?" Ritchie looked over at Henry.
"No sir," Henry shook his head.
"Mark, is this true?" Ritchie looked over to another member of his staff.
"I saw her sign it," Mark nodded.
"What?" Ann jumped up. "Robert, they're lying."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ritchie asked Mark.
"She told me if I did, everyone would be hurt."
"How dare you," Ritchie looked over at Ann.
"Wait." Ann started to defend herself.
"No, I don't think I will," Ritchie stood. "Mark, get her out of my sight."
"Yes sir," Mark nodded.
"You can't do this. You have no chance of winning if I'm gone!" Ann snapped.
"I'll take my chances," Ritchie shook his head.
"And Ann?" Jed stood. "You'll never work in politics again," Jed smiled.
"You can't do this," Ann yelled as Mark carried her out.
"Never mess with the Cregg/Ziegler team," CJ smirked at Toby.
"Thank you," Toby nodded.
"CJ, how did you know what happened?" Ritchie asked.
"I remember hearing about what happened with Henry. But I thought it was true and didn't think anything of it," CJ smiled. "Then I looked into it, and talked with Henry. Then everything fell into place."
"Well, thank you," Henry smiled.
"Sure," CJ grinned.
"So, why don't we get back down to business," Jed smiled.
"I like that idea," Ritchie nodded.
LATER THAT DAY
"I'm telling you, the past two days have been a conspiracy," Toby mentioned.
"People like to screw with you," CJ smirked. "But Ann didn't know that you had friends backing you up."
"Thanks again," Toby smiled. "It was nice seeing her face when she was kicked out of the room."
"Yeah, it was," Sam joined in and smiled. "Hopefully we'll never have to deal with her again."
"Guys, we have work to do!" Jed yelled.
"Yes sir," The three of them moaned.
The End
"Umm.Good Mr. President," Henry jumped up. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you."
"I thought I'd surprise you," Jed smiled.
"What can I do for you sir?"
"Well, first of all, I'm sorry about what happened with Ritchie."
"Thank you," Henry nodded.
"I was surprised that he would just fire you," Jed shrugged.
"Well, it was for the best," Henry looked down.
"You don't sound to sure about that Henry," Jed mentioned.
"I'm sorry sir, but I thought you were supposed to be having a meeting with Robert right now," Henry said.
"I did, but I'd much rather meet with you. You see Henry, I've been a fan yours for a while. I like your ideas, I like your idealism."
"Thank you sir," Henry nodded. "That means a lot."
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened with you and Ritchie?"
"Well, he believed that I was stealing some of the campaign money for personal use."
"Were you?"
"No sir. We were at our weekly meeting. Ann Stark had come in and introduced herself to Robert and hung around for a while. She was looking at some of the estimates of our monthly income and said she noticed some decreases. After an hour long argument, she went searching in the back room and reappeared with a check that was made out to me for the amount of $50,000.00."
"That's a lot of money," Jed seemed to be shocked. "What happened then?"
"I swore on everything that I didn't do it. But Ann pointed out my signature at the bottom of the check. Mr. President, I would never do that to a friend. That was not my signature," Henry looked down and shook his head. "I'm sorry I'm bothering you with this."
"Henry," Jed smiled. "How would you like your job back?"
"How?" Henry asked.
"Trust me," Jed smiled.
NEXT DOOR
"Where is he Toby?" Ann asked. Everyone was gathered around a large table waiting for the President. Bartlet's staff on one side, Ritchie's staff on the other.
"I have no idea," Toby shrugged, as he winked over to Sam and CJ.
"This is not making me happy," Ann said.
"Brilliant!" Robert Ritchie yelled. "What is this called again?"
"Mr. Packman," Sam smiled.
Ann rolled her eyes as Ritchie played with Sam's hand held game.
"I'm not very happy," Ann said again.
"You said this already," Toby said.
"I'm so sorry," Jed walked in. "Robert Ritchie!" Jed smiled and shook his hand.
"Mr. President, it's nice to see you," Ritchie smiled. He noticed Henry had followed him in. "What are you doing here?" Ritchie asked.
"I asked him to come," Jed smiled. "Why don't we all sit down?"
"Yes sir," Everyone nodded and sat.
"I just had a discussion with Henry, and he seems to be a very nice guy," Jed smiled. "So I was curious on why he got fired."
"Well sir." Ritchie started.
"I heard the story," Jed stopped him. "CJ, would you please continue?"
"Yes sir," CJ smiled and stood. "In this folder, I have a check for the amount of $50,000.00. Now, it's made out to Henry Anderson and signed by Henry Anderson," CJ mentioned and held the check up.
"What is this, the live version of 'Clue'?" Ann asked sarcastically.
"Shut up," Jed snapped.
"Anyway. Senator Ritchie, Henry is a good man sir. I for one don't want him to lose his career so someone else can get ahead," CJ glared over at Ann. "Sir, if you look at these two signatures," CJ put down the check that everyone said Henry signed, and then put down another check that Ann signed next to it. "They look amazingly alike."
"Yes," Ritchie looked down at them. "They do."
"Sir, if you ask some other people on your staff about this signature, you'll come to find out that Ann Stark signed this check to make you think Henry was stealing money from you."
"You didn't sign this?" Ritchie looked over at Henry.
"No sir," Henry shook his head.
"Mark, is this true?" Ritchie looked over to another member of his staff.
"I saw her sign it," Mark nodded.
"What?" Ann jumped up. "Robert, they're lying."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ritchie asked Mark.
"She told me if I did, everyone would be hurt."
"How dare you," Ritchie looked over at Ann.
"Wait." Ann started to defend herself.
"No, I don't think I will," Ritchie stood. "Mark, get her out of my sight."
"Yes sir," Mark nodded.
"You can't do this. You have no chance of winning if I'm gone!" Ann snapped.
"I'll take my chances," Ritchie shook his head.
"And Ann?" Jed stood. "You'll never work in politics again," Jed smiled.
"You can't do this," Ann yelled as Mark carried her out.
"Never mess with the Cregg/Ziegler team," CJ smirked at Toby.
"Thank you," Toby nodded.
"CJ, how did you know what happened?" Ritchie asked.
"I remember hearing about what happened with Henry. But I thought it was true and didn't think anything of it," CJ smiled. "Then I looked into it, and talked with Henry. Then everything fell into place."
"Well, thank you," Henry smiled.
"Sure," CJ grinned.
"So, why don't we get back down to business," Jed smiled.
"I like that idea," Ritchie nodded.
LATER THAT DAY
"I'm telling you, the past two days have been a conspiracy," Toby mentioned.
"People like to screw with you," CJ smirked. "But Ann didn't know that you had friends backing you up."
"Thanks again," Toby smiled. "It was nice seeing her face when she was kicked out of the room."
"Yeah, it was," Sam joined in and smiled. "Hopefully we'll never have to deal with her again."
"Guys, we have work to do!" Jed yelled.
"Yes sir," The three of them moaned.
The End