Title: Waiting
Author: IDreamOfAJ
Characters: CJ/Ron, Toby, Josh
Spoilers: Mr. Willis Of Ohio
Rating: PG
Summary: He put the pieces together.
Author's Note: So, I haven't been very productive lately. And I can't seem to work on the things already started. So, I thought I'd play around with this. I think it might actually end up part of a series.
Follows "Watching".
For Angie - at least I'm writing something. And Toby is in there, somewhere. ; )
Disclaimers: I don't own anything. And I know for sure that nobody's gonna pay me for this.
Waiting
He's sitting in his office, ignoring the occasional shout from Donna that she wants her money back. Today had been good. All in all. He knows that Zoey had been shaken up. But he also knows she'll bounce back. He should be celebrating. They'd won the vote easily, the census amendment had been shelved for the time being, and he hadn't lost all his money in the poker game. But he's busy trying to fit together a puzzle from just a few pieces.
Josh doesn't like puzzles. At least not this kind. Not the kind that involve his coworkers. His friends. He feels that he should be able to see something out of this. But for the life of him he can't. He can't find anything except a couple random events.
But, Josh trusts his instincts. They've served him well in his political career. Hell, they'd helped elect this president. And right now, they are telling him that there is more going on than what it appears.
He goes back over the pieces.
Ron Butterfield had interrupted the poker game to talk to the President about Zoey's new protection detail. Nothing unusual there. Except that when Ron and the President had walked out, Toby had looked at CJ as if they were sharing some sort of secret. He was almost positive by the way that Toby moved suddenly, that CJ had kicked him under the table. But why?
The next thing he had noticed wasn't all that unusual either. After President Bartlet had returned, he noticed that Ron had walked by the door. Twice. Not totally unusual, but after the CJ/Toby look thing - well, it was a little odd.
But the kicker had come not fifteen minutes later. CJ had excused herself mid-game. And she was ahead. She said something about needing to get some notes for tomorrow's briefing. And she had left the game. Ahead.
At the time Josh had thought it weird. CJ never wins at poker. But she was winning. She's almost as competitive as he is. And she just walked away. But the game continued, and Josh let it go.
Until he was walking back to his office after the game. He saw Ron walking with CJ towards her office. He had called out to her. And she had seemed almost guilty for a split second. But then she had recovered her game face. When asked why she had left the game, she had explained that she needed details from Ron about the protection Zoey was getting so she could brief on it tomorrow. Ron had told CJ that she could come to him any time with questions and departed. After praising Josh on his quick response in the bar.
Perfectly normal. Except that something just didn't ring true. Well, the part about his quick response was, but... . CJ dodged the few questions he thought to ask, and left for the night.
And here he is. Sitting in his office, trying to come up with the part of this equation that he isn't seeing. He needs more information.
Toby is sitting at his desk, making notes in the margins of something that most likely had been written by Sam. Judging by the red ink. Josh tries to approach him casually.
"What?"
"What, what Toby?"
"Well, you're lurking around and checking over your shoulder. So, I'm asking what. What have you done?"
"Toby, you wound me. I haven't done anything. Can't a man walk into a coworker's off... ?"
"Get to the point Josh."
Josh settles himself into a chair and leans forward.
"So, have you noticed anything, I don't know, unusual going on with CJ and... ?"
"No. Leave me now."
The wheels start turning quickly. The denial too fast, too sure. Definitely something going on.
"You haven't seen anything?"
"No. I don't know what you're looking for, but there's nothing going on with CJ. Go do something productive. Or, you know, go home."
"'Kay."
He needs one more piece to complete the puzzle. He has to do this carefully.
"By the way, I guess CJ got the details on Zoey's protection from Ron Butterfield. So she's set for the first briefing tomorrow."
He watches as Toby swallows and almost forces himself not to look up.
"Yeah? Good."
"'Night Toby."
He's on his way back to his office trying to come to terms with this. CJ and Ron. CJ and Ron. Wow. Now he'll just have to wait and see. Wait for CJ to say something about it. He'll be good. He won't try to pry it out of her. He can be an adult after all. He just hates waiting.
The End
Author: IDreamOfAJ
Characters: CJ/Ron, Toby, Josh
Spoilers: Mr. Willis Of Ohio
Rating: PG
Summary: He put the pieces together.
Author's Note: So, I haven't been very productive lately. And I can't seem to work on the things already started. So, I thought I'd play around with this. I think it might actually end up part of a series.
Follows "Watching".
For Angie - at least I'm writing something. And Toby is in there, somewhere. ; )
Disclaimers: I don't own anything. And I know for sure that nobody's gonna pay me for this.
Waiting
He's sitting in his office, ignoring the occasional shout from Donna that she wants her money back. Today had been good. All in all. He knows that Zoey had been shaken up. But he also knows she'll bounce back. He should be celebrating. They'd won the vote easily, the census amendment had been shelved for the time being, and he hadn't lost all his money in the poker game. But he's busy trying to fit together a puzzle from just a few pieces.
Josh doesn't like puzzles. At least not this kind. Not the kind that involve his coworkers. His friends. He feels that he should be able to see something out of this. But for the life of him he can't. He can't find anything except a couple random events.
But, Josh trusts his instincts. They've served him well in his political career. Hell, they'd helped elect this president. And right now, they are telling him that there is more going on than what it appears.
He goes back over the pieces.
Ron Butterfield had interrupted the poker game to talk to the President about Zoey's new protection detail. Nothing unusual there. Except that when Ron and the President had walked out, Toby had looked at CJ as if they were sharing some sort of secret. He was almost positive by the way that Toby moved suddenly, that CJ had kicked him under the table. But why?
The next thing he had noticed wasn't all that unusual either. After President Bartlet had returned, he noticed that Ron had walked by the door. Twice. Not totally unusual, but after the CJ/Toby look thing - well, it was a little odd.
But the kicker had come not fifteen minutes later. CJ had excused herself mid-game. And she was ahead. She said something about needing to get some notes for tomorrow's briefing. And she had left the game. Ahead.
At the time Josh had thought it weird. CJ never wins at poker. But she was winning. She's almost as competitive as he is. And she just walked away. But the game continued, and Josh let it go.
Until he was walking back to his office after the game. He saw Ron walking with CJ towards her office. He had called out to her. And she had seemed almost guilty for a split second. But then she had recovered her game face. When asked why she had left the game, she had explained that she needed details from Ron about the protection Zoey was getting so she could brief on it tomorrow. Ron had told CJ that she could come to him any time with questions and departed. After praising Josh on his quick response in the bar.
Perfectly normal. Except that something just didn't ring true. Well, the part about his quick response was, but... . CJ dodged the few questions he thought to ask, and left for the night.
And here he is. Sitting in his office, trying to come up with the part of this equation that he isn't seeing. He needs more information.
Toby is sitting at his desk, making notes in the margins of something that most likely had been written by Sam. Judging by the red ink. Josh tries to approach him casually.
"What?"
"What, what Toby?"
"Well, you're lurking around and checking over your shoulder. So, I'm asking what. What have you done?"
"Toby, you wound me. I haven't done anything. Can't a man walk into a coworker's off... ?"
"Get to the point Josh."
Josh settles himself into a chair and leans forward.
"So, have you noticed anything, I don't know, unusual going on with CJ and... ?"
"No. Leave me now."
The wheels start turning quickly. The denial too fast, too sure. Definitely something going on.
"You haven't seen anything?"
"No. I don't know what you're looking for, but there's nothing going on with CJ. Go do something productive. Or, you know, go home."
"'Kay."
He needs one more piece to complete the puzzle. He has to do this carefully.
"By the way, I guess CJ got the details on Zoey's protection from Ron Butterfield. So she's set for the first briefing tomorrow."
He watches as Toby swallows and almost forces himself not to look up.
"Yeah? Good."
"'Night Toby."
He's on his way back to his office trying to come to terms with this. CJ and Ron. CJ and Ron. Wow. Now he'll just have to wait and see. Wait for CJ to say something about it. He'll be good. He won't try to pry it out of her. He can be an adult after all. He just hates waiting.
The End