DISCLAIMER: See chapter 1

A/N: Thanks again to nattieb for the review- yeah I was in a really random mood when I wrote that last chapter. I've had this idea about Josh and Toby watching a Yankees/Mets game for a long time so I decided to put it in. I'm sorry to any Mets fans, I'm a Yankees fan myself and that might become evident.


Chapter 7 - Batter Up

Josh and Alex sat in bed a few days after returning from France, eating breakfast. Alex had turned on the movie Beauty and the Beast, and was watching it. Josh was reading the paper. "Put down that damn paper and watch the movie with me!"

"That's okay." Josh laughed. "It still perplexes me that you're even watching a Disney movie and you're a grown adult with no kids."

Alex shrugged. "Beauty and the Beast is a classic. It's the only animated ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar."

"Your inane knowledge of movie trivia can rival the President's inane knowledge of trivia about... everything else."

"Thank you!" Alex smiled.

Josh smiled too. He then turned and looked at the clock. "I gotta get ready." He got up and started getting dressed.

"For what?"

"The Yankees-Mets game is on and Toby and I are going to watch it in his office."

"Is that a really good idea? I mean, you two are liable to kill each other." Josh laughed. "Besides, it's a Saturday, and I thought that we were going to spend the day together."

"We can... after the game."

"And if it goes into extra innings?"

"It's an afternoon game... we'll still have time for dinner."

Alex stood up. "I'm coming too."

"Why?"

"You think a girl can't enjoy baseball?"

"Why don't you and Donna just go and see a movie or something?"

"So now you're trying to get rid of me?!" Alex became very defensive.

"I didn't say that Alex."

"But you meant it."

"Don't put words in my mouth. I'll say it if I mean it."

"Then why don't you want me to come?!"

"I thought that you'd have a better time seeing a movie with Donna than watching a baseball game with two die-hard fanatics."

"Sure," Alex said skeptically.

"Now you're pissed at me?! Why the hell are you pissed at me?!"

"Because you don't want to spend time with me."

"I never said that!"

"But you meant it!"

Josh began to scream. "Well if you're gonna act like this about nothing then maybe I don't want to spend time with you!" Alex gave Josh a dirty look and stormed into the bathroom. He rolled his eyes and walked out to his car.


Sam walked into the west wing on that Saturday, ready to work. Since it was a weekend, he was dressed in what he liked to call his "casual work gear", basically a sweater and jeans. He decided that before he went to work, he'd take a walk around the west wing. Sam liked to do that now and then. The quiet hallways helped him clear his mind.

As Sam walked by Olivia's office, he noticed movement inside. He looked inside and found Olivia working on her computer. Sam knocked on the open door, and Olivia looked up and smiled. "Hey," Sam grinned. "You're working today, too?"

"Yeah. I needed to finish up some paperwork and crap. And I thought that maybe I could be ahead of the curve for Monday."

"You're turning into me."

"Thank you."

"That's not a good thing." They both laughed. After the laughter, there was a moment of awkward silence. "All right, well I guess I should go and do my work now. Maybe I'll see you later?"

"I'd like that."

"Me too." Sam left Olivia's office, smiling, and headed to the empty Communications bullpen.


"Are you blind?! ARE YOU BLIND?! Did you not see Jeter trying to steal?!," Josh yelled at the TV in Toby's office.

"He probably is blind. He is a Met," Toby snickered.

"Once Piazza is at bat you'll be sorry. He'll hit a grand slam and prove that the Mets are superior to the Yankees."

"What universe are you living in? One: no team is superior to the Yankees, two: are you talking about the Piazza that struck out his first at bat, and hit a pop-fly his second?"

"He's having an off-day," Josh muttered.

It was the top of the ninth inning and the Yankees were at Shea Stadium. It was a tie score of four to four. Josh and Toby sat on the edge of their seats as Hideki Matsui was struck out and the game went into the bottom of the ninth. "Why couldn't he just hit the ball?!" Toby bellowed.

"Because the Yankees suck, my friend," Josh chuckled.

"You misspoke there, Josh, because I think what you meant was that the Mets suck."

"At least the Mets—"

"Oh, will you two just shut up?! It's only a game!," Alex suddenly cried. She had been sitting, very bored, at Toby's computer, playing solitaire.

"No one asked you to come!," retorted Josh.

"Forgive me for thinking I'd have fun hanging out with my boyfriend and that he just might pay attention to me."

"You're free to leave."

"Could you take your fight outside please?," Toby sighed. "I'm in the middle of watching the game."

"It's a commercial."

"I still don't want to listen to the two of you."

Josh and Alex both huffed and sat in silence. The game came back on, and Josh and Toby immediately got back into it. The half-inning was full of excitement. By the end, the Mets had the bases loaded, two outs, and Mike Piazza was up with a full-count. "This is it! He's going to do it! He's going to hit the grand slam!"

"Strike him out Rivera! Strike him out!" Toby screamed.

Suddenly, the power went out. Lights, computers, and TVs stopped working. "WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!" Toby and Josh shouted at once. Alex chuckled to herself.

"You think this is funny?!," Josh yelled at her. "You think that my agony is funny?!"

"Yes."

"Just get a God damn radio in here!" Toby roared.

"I think there's one in my office!" Josh ran toward the door, but his leg caught on the side of the couch and he fell, face first, to the floor. Alex howled with laughter. Josh just got up and went to his office to search for the radio.


Sam tried to focus on his work, but he couldn't. It wasn't because of all the yelling next door. He was used to being next to Toby's office and could just tune the screaming out. The reason he couldn't concentrate was because his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. He stared at his computer screen, which was now black due to the power outage. Even before, there hadn't been a word written on it. Sam sighed, stood up, and walked toward the source of his troubles.

He knocked on the door to the office, and Olivia beckoned him in. Sam sat in the chair across from her and they stared at each other for a minute. "What's up?," Olivia finally asked.

"I couldn't concentrate."

"Why?"

"Because... there's a lot of yelling next door. Josh, Toby, and Alex are watching the game."

"How can they be watching it? The power is out."

"Well now they're yelling about how the power outage is preventing them from watching the game."

Olivia laughed. "You're not watching the game with them?"

"Nah. I'm more of a Angels fan myself."

"That could cause a problem."

"Why?"

"I don't know if I could share an office with someone who doesn't like the Yankees."

"First of all, I didn't say that I didn't like the Yankees, I just prefer the Angels. Second of all, we're sharing an office?"

"Well, I figured that that was why you came here... so you could set up camp here for a little while."

"Oh... yeah... sure." Olivia smiled at Sam and she set back to work. Sam tried to go back to work but he couldn't. He found himself staring at Olivia as she worked. He loved everything about her, the way she held her pen, the way her hair fell onto the paper as she worked, and even the way her eyes moved along the paper. If Sam didn't tell her that instant, he would burst. "Olivia... I need to tell you something."

"What?" Sam stood up and walked around to the other side of the desk, summoning up his courage. "Sam... are you okay?" Olivia stood up, facing Sam.

"I lied before... about why I came here. The game wasn't the reason that I couldn't concentrate."

"Then why couldn't you..." Olivia trailed off. She saw the way that Sam was looking at her. It was her. He couldn't concentrate because of her. Before she knew it, Sam had kissed her and she kissed back. After a few seconds, Olivia pulled away. "Damn it!"

Sam jumped away, afraid he had offended her. "What?!"

"Why don't I have a couch in here?!" She laughed and so did Sam. They kissed again, both in complete bliss.


Back in Toby's office, the radio had been set up. Mike hadn't hit the homerun that Josh thought he would, instead he was struck out. The game was now in the bottom of the eleventh, Yankees were up six to five. There were two outs and two on base. "Just hit a God damn homerun! It's not THAT hard!" Josh was screaming.

"Apparently it is hard for the Mets." Toby laughed.

They listened to the announcer. "And the pitch... he hits a line drive to center field... Bernie Williams catches it! The game is over! THEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YANKEES WIN!"

"Haha! And the Yankees have proved themselves superior yet again!"

Josh sat on the couch with his head in his hands. "Why couldn't he hit a homerun?! How hard can that be?!" He sighed. "I have to go home and sulk over this alone."

Alex stood up. "Josh, I need to talk to you for a second," she said in a rather high-pitched voice. Alex grabbed Josh's arm and pulled him into Sam's empty, dark office. As soon as she had shut the door, she turned on Josh. "I thought we were going to go out for dinner!"

"That was before the Mets lost."

"So?"

"I need time to mope."

"Mope over dinner!"

"Why the hell do you care about dinner so much?!"

"Because this is the second promise you've broken today! You said you were going to spend the day with me and instead you watched the game with Toby, and then you said we were going to go out for dinner but instead you want to pout like a little kid! Josh, I have been doing so much to be with you and you're doing nothing! I even sat here and watched baseball to be with you!"

"I didn't even want you to come in the first place! You were being annoying and distracting the entire time! And since when are you the only one who does anything in this relationship?! Whenever I ask you if you wanna do something, you're always going off to do something with Olivia or Donna or CJ!"

"That is not true!"

"Yes it is and you know it!"

"Don't go blaming this all on me! You're just as bad!"

"At least I don't go around annoying you when you're trying to have fun or work!"

"You know what?! I can't stand you! Why the hell did I ever start dating you in the first place?! I wouldn't care if I never saw you again!"

"Fine by me! Have a nice life!"

Alex and Josh gave each other dirty looks before she stormed out of the office and out of the west wing. A few seconds later, Toby walked into Sam's office with concern on his face. "What was that all about?"

"We just broke up."

"Oh." Toby paused. "Do you want to go get a drink or... something?"

"No. I'm just gonna go... home." Josh marched out of the west wing in anger just as Olivia and Sam walked to Sam's office. Sam had his arm wrapped around Olivia. They found Toby standing outside of Sam's office, watching Josh stride away.

"What happened?," Sam asked.

"Josh and Alex broke up."

Sam and Olivia stood in shock. "Alex has got to be devastated," Olivia gasped. "I should call her."

"I'd wait. They're both angry." There were a few moments of silence.

"Toby, guess what," Sam said eagerly.

"Do I care?"

"Probably not. Olivia and I are dating." They both smiled brightly.

"Oh dear God," Toby turned, went into his office, and shut the door. Sam and Olivia looked at each other and shrugged.