Part 8
Toby stayed in his office the rest of the day. He didn't leave it until it was dark outside and the bullpen was empty. He knocked lightly on Sam's door. When Sam saw it was Toby he quickly put away what he was reading.
"How are you doing?" He asked softly.
Toby sighed and sat down putting a hand to his forehead.
"I talked to her earlier today. I made her upset."
"You're not the only one." Sam grinned at him.
There was a moment of silence. Sam could tell Toby wanted to say something, but didn't know how, so he just waited. Toby rubbed his forehead nervously and then he looked up at Sam.
"He's going to be good to her, right? He's a good man?"
Sam smiled gently at Toby. He couldn't believe this was Toby Ziegler, the Communications Director that everyone, including himself, thought of as a pain in the ass. Toby's concern for CJ almost made Sam telling Toby that he shouldn't let her go that easily. Instead he nodded.
"He's the best, Toby."
"Yeah, I thought so. He will make her happy."
They sat there, not saying a word to each other, not doing anything, except thinking of how tough life could be sometimes.
* * * * *
"Claudia Jean? Is everything alright?"
CJ felt Eric's arm slip around her waist. She nodded, but then she realized he couldn't see her face.
"Yes. Just tired."
"Then sleep, precious."
* * * * *
Eric surprised her the next morning with breakfast in bed. CJ smiled and did her best to not show that she cried inside. She couldn't believe herself. Eric was the perfect guy! Yet, she still had Toby in her mind. Toby, who never could give her what she wanted and needed. No, she had made up her mind. Eric was the one. She was going to marry him.
"What's the matter?" Eric looked with worried eyes on her.
"It's nothing." She managed to make a noise that sounded like a laugh.
He raised his eyebrows and she smiled at him.
"Just trouble at work."
After all, that wasn't lying.
"How come you haven't introduced me to Toby Ziegler?"
CJ stiffened when she heard Eric mention Toby and he could tell.
"Why? Why would I?" CJ said after a while.
"Because he's your best friend. Everyone who has something to do with politics here in D.C. talks about your special bond. I mean, I've met Josh and Leo. How come I haven't met him?"
CJ looked at him. What was he up to? Was he trying to pry? But when she looked into his bright blue eyes she could tell he wasn't. He just wanted to know everything about her and meet the people that meant something special to her.
"Eric, the thing with me and Toby... It's kind of complicated. We're not friends anymore. Things happened a month ago and, well, lets just say I've finally realized what everyone else thinks of him. He's a pain in the ass."
Eric laughed. "Yeah, I've heard the rumors about him, alright."
Eric kept laughing but CJ wasn't even smiling. She didn't want to hear Eric, not anyone except she, say that Toby was a pain in the ass.
* * * * *
They were in his office, why he couldn't care less about. He didn't even listen to Sam and Josh talking. They had different opinions and Toby knew the deal already was done, so why argue about it? "Guys, could you please take this some where else?"
Sam and Josh stopped talking and looked at Toby behind the desk.
"Is CJ in yet?" Josh asked.
"How am I suppose to know?" Toby sounded a little too defensive.
"Whoa! Just asking!" Josh held up his hands and shot Sam a look, but just got a glare back.
"Sam, there's someone here to see you." Bonnie stuck in her head.
Sam turned his head towards the door and saw Eric out in the bullpen. He quickly rose, intending to show him to his room, but when Eric saw Sam he quickly walked towards him and without anyone knowing how, he was inside Toby's office.
"Hey, Sam! Josh!" Eric said happily with a huge smile.
Sam looked uncomfortable and looked carefully at Toby. Fortunately, Toby didn't seem to realize who he was. At least not yet.
"Why don't we go into my office?" Sam put a hand on Eric's back.
They were in the door and Sam thought he managed to save the situation when Josh ruined it.
"Eric, you haven't met Toby yet, right?"
Sam closed his eyes before looking at Toby. Toby had now realized.
"So, you're Toby Ziegler?" Eric smiled and walked back into the office again with his hand stretched out. "I'm Eric Brooks."
"Who's marrying CJ." Sam sighed of relief when he saw that Toby even managed to smile. "I'm very happy for the two of you."
"Thank you, sir."
"Toby."
"Toby."
An awkward silence spread around the room. Josh looked at Sam to see if he knew why, but Sam didn't give him the answer.
"Toby, do you have a minute?" Eric suddenly said.
"Yeah."
Eric turned to Sam and Josh and they immediately understood. Josh smiled while he was leaving the room. Sam on the other hand took longer time to leave the office.
"Could you close the door, Sam?" Eric smiled friendly at him.
Sam nodded and did so. He went into his office. He sat down in a chair pretending to read a file, but he was really looking through the windows to Toby's office.
"Sit down." Toby nodded at a chair.
"Thank you." Eric sat down and then took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm just going to say what's on my mind. Claudia Jean has told me about you two."
"What?" Eric took him so off guard that Toby didn't even comment on how weird it was to hear someone use CJ's full name.
"Yes, she told me you don't get along."
"Oh." Toby breathed out and leaned back against the chair.
"I think that's sad. With all the people I've talked to that know the two of you says that you share a special bond."
"Yeah, I guess we do." Toby sighed. "After all, we've almost known each other for twenty years." "Which is why I think it's so sad that you're not getting along anymore. Listen, why don't the three of us have dinner tonight?"
Toby looked down and started to rub his forehead. Then he rose and began to pace back and forth in the room.
Sam didn't like what he saw. Toby was pacing. He was pacing with his hand on the forehead. That couldn't be good. He quickly grabbed a file and walked into Toby's office without knocking.
"Sam!" Eric smiled. "I just asked Toby to have dinner with me and Claudia Jean tonight. Why don't you come along?"
Sam turned his eyes to Toby who didn't look back.
"Don't we have that thing tonight?" Sam said slowly.
Toby immediately tagged along.
"Yes, darn. Sorry, Eric. Maybe another time."
Eric looked a bit disappointed, but then he smiled. "Okay, another time."
Once again Sam thought he had saved the situation when Josh burst into the office.
"Sorry to interrupt but Leo needs us in five."
"Josh! Maybe you want to join me and Claudia Jean for dinner tonight since these two workaholics can't?"
He smiled and nodded towards Toby and Sam.
"Sure, that sounds nice! But what are you guys doing tonight?"
Sam and Toby looked at each other, not knowing what to say. The few seconds they were thinking felt like minutes.
"Um, we have that thing, you know..." Toby started.
"What thing?" Josh asked.
"We have to write a draft for the President's speech tomorrow night!" Sam said proudly and got an appreciating look from Toby.
"What? Where's the President's going tomorrow? Are you talking about the dinner for the French President?"
"Yes, we are."
Toby smiled, relieved that Sam was so bright and how much he obviously cared about Toby.
"Was I the only one who listened to Leo this morning? It's cancelled. It was some big emergency in France so he's not coming."
Toby glared at Sam who looked away.
"Excellent!" Eric clapped his hands together. "That means you both can join us tonight instead." Toby closed his eyes for a short moment before looking at Eric. There was no way he could get out of this.
"I suppose it does," he said and smiled slightly.
TBC.
Toby stayed in his office the rest of the day. He didn't leave it until it was dark outside and the bullpen was empty. He knocked lightly on Sam's door. When Sam saw it was Toby he quickly put away what he was reading.
"How are you doing?" He asked softly.
Toby sighed and sat down putting a hand to his forehead.
"I talked to her earlier today. I made her upset."
"You're not the only one." Sam grinned at him.
There was a moment of silence. Sam could tell Toby wanted to say something, but didn't know how, so he just waited. Toby rubbed his forehead nervously and then he looked up at Sam.
"He's going to be good to her, right? He's a good man?"
Sam smiled gently at Toby. He couldn't believe this was Toby Ziegler, the Communications Director that everyone, including himself, thought of as a pain in the ass. Toby's concern for CJ almost made Sam telling Toby that he shouldn't let her go that easily. Instead he nodded.
"He's the best, Toby."
"Yeah, I thought so. He will make her happy."
They sat there, not saying a word to each other, not doing anything, except thinking of how tough life could be sometimes.
* * * * *
"Claudia Jean? Is everything alright?"
CJ felt Eric's arm slip around her waist. She nodded, but then she realized he couldn't see her face.
"Yes. Just tired."
"Then sleep, precious."
* * * * *
Eric surprised her the next morning with breakfast in bed. CJ smiled and did her best to not show that she cried inside. She couldn't believe herself. Eric was the perfect guy! Yet, she still had Toby in her mind. Toby, who never could give her what she wanted and needed. No, she had made up her mind. Eric was the one. She was going to marry him.
"What's the matter?" Eric looked with worried eyes on her.
"It's nothing." She managed to make a noise that sounded like a laugh.
He raised his eyebrows and she smiled at him.
"Just trouble at work."
After all, that wasn't lying.
"How come you haven't introduced me to Toby Ziegler?"
CJ stiffened when she heard Eric mention Toby and he could tell.
"Why? Why would I?" CJ said after a while.
"Because he's your best friend. Everyone who has something to do with politics here in D.C. talks about your special bond. I mean, I've met Josh and Leo. How come I haven't met him?"
CJ looked at him. What was he up to? Was he trying to pry? But when she looked into his bright blue eyes she could tell he wasn't. He just wanted to know everything about her and meet the people that meant something special to her.
"Eric, the thing with me and Toby... It's kind of complicated. We're not friends anymore. Things happened a month ago and, well, lets just say I've finally realized what everyone else thinks of him. He's a pain in the ass."
Eric laughed. "Yeah, I've heard the rumors about him, alright."
Eric kept laughing but CJ wasn't even smiling. She didn't want to hear Eric, not anyone except she, say that Toby was a pain in the ass.
* * * * *
They were in his office, why he couldn't care less about. He didn't even listen to Sam and Josh talking. They had different opinions and Toby knew the deal already was done, so why argue about it? "Guys, could you please take this some where else?"
Sam and Josh stopped talking and looked at Toby behind the desk.
"Is CJ in yet?" Josh asked.
"How am I suppose to know?" Toby sounded a little too defensive.
"Whoa! Just asking!" Josh held up his hands and shot Sam a look, but just got a glare back.
"Sam, there's someone here to see you." Bonnie stuck in her head.
Sam turned his head towards the door and saw Eric out in the bullpen. He quickly rose, intending to show him to his room, but when Eric saw Sam he quickly walked towards him and without anyone knowing how, he was inside Toby's office.
"Hey, Sam! Josh!" Eric said happily with a huge smile.
Sam looked uncomfortable and looked carefully at Toby. Fortunately, Toby didn't seem to realize who he was. At least not yet.
"Why don't we go into my office?" Sam put a hand on Eric's back.
They were in the door and Sam thought he managed to save the situation when Josh ruined it.
"Eric, you haven't met Toby yet, right?"
Sam closed his eyes before looking at Toby. Toby had now realized.
"So, you're Toby Ziegler?" Eric smiled and walked back into the office again with his hand stretched out. "I'm Eric Brooks."
"Who's marrying CJ." Sam sighed of relief when he saw that Toby even managed to smile. "I'm very happy for the two of you."
"Thank you, sir."
"Toby."
"Toby."
An awkward silence spread around the room. Josh looked at Sam to see if he knew why, but Sam didn't give him the answer.
"Toby, do you have a minute?" Eric suddenly said.
"Yeah."
Eric turned to Sam and Josh and they immediately understood. Josh smiled while he was leaving the room. Sam on the other hand took longer time to leave the office.
"Could you close the door, Sam?" Eric smiled friendly at him.
Sam nodded and did so. He went into his office. He sat down in a chair pretending to read a file, but he was really looking through the windows to Toby's office.
"Sit down." Toby nodded at a chair.
"Thank you." Eric sat down and then took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm just going to say what's on my mind. Claudia Jean has told me about you two."
"What?" Eric took him so off guard that Toby didn't even comment on how weird it was to hear someone use CJ's full name.
"Yes, she told me you don't get along."
"Oh." Toby breathed out and leaned back against the chair.
"I think that's sad. With all the people I've talked to that know the two of you says that you share a special bond."
"Yeah, I guess we do." Toby sighed. "After all, we've almost known each other for twenty years." "Which is why I think it's so sad that you're not getting along anymore. Listen, why don't the three of us have dinner tonight?"
Toby looked down and started to rub his forehead. Then he rose and began to pace back and forth in the room.
Sam didn't like what he saw. Toby was pacing. He was pacing with his hand on the forehead. That couldn't be good. He quickly grabbed a file and walked into Toby's office without knocking.
"Sam!" Eric smiled. "I just asked Toby to have dinner with me and Claudia Jean tonight. Why don't you come along?"
Sam turned his eyes to Toby who didn't look back.
"Don't we have that thing tonight?" Sam said slowly.
Toby immediately tagged along.
"Yes, darn. Sorry, Eric. Maybe another time."
Eric looked a bit disappointed, but then he smiled. "Okay, another time."
Once again Sam thought he had saved the situation when Josh burst into the office.
"Sorry to interrupt but Leo needs us in five."
"Josh! Maybe you want to join me and Claudia Jean for dinner tonight since these two workaholics can't?"
He smiled and nodded towards Toby and Sam.
"Sure, that sounds nice! But what are you guys doing tonight?"
Sam and Toby looked at each other, not knowing what to say. The few seconds they were thinking felt like minutes.
"Um, we have that thing, you know..." Toby started.
"What thing?" Josh asked.
"We have to write a draft for the President's speech tomorrow night!" Sam said proudly and got an appreciating look from Toby.
"What? Where's the President's going tomorrow? Are you talking about the dinner for the French President?"
"Yes, we are."
Toby smiled, relieved that Sam was so bright and how much he obviously cared about Toby.
"Was I the only one who listened to Leo this morning? It's cancelled. It was some big emergency in France so he's not coming."
Toby glared at Sam who looked away.
"Excellent!" Eric clapped his hands together. "That means you both can join us tonight instead." Toby closed his eyes for a short moment before looking at Eric. There was no way he could get out of this.
"I suppose it does," he said and smiled slightly.
TBC.