Part 2
"BEEP, BEEP." The alarm clock wailed once the time struck 6:00.
Toby didn't even get up from the bed. He just reached over and shut the alarm off. He then turned from his stomach onto his back. He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head.
"I need more sleep then this." He stated outloud as he rubbed his tired eyes.
"Yes you do." The reply came out of nowhere.
Toby jumped a little, looked in the direction of the foot of his bed, and saw Mrs. Landingham standing there, looking down on him.
"Stop that!" He demanded. Tossing his hands in the air in utter frustration. Damn, it wasn't just a horrible dream.
"Nice boxers," Mrs. Landingham noted, eyeing the fact that none of the covers on his bed were covering him.
Toby looked down at himself and quickly pulled the covers up, embarrassment forming in his face.
"You work out?" Mrs. Landingham asked flirtatiously.
"Shut up." Toby groaned. Was a dead woman flirting with him? Seriously? He needed help.
"Time to start the day Toby. Why don't you go take a shower?" She asked in that tone that let Toby know she wasn't suggesting that as an idea, it was an order.
"I will." He conceded.
"Okay," Mrs. Landingham kept standing there, waiting for him to get out of bed. Acting like she belonged there.
"Mrs. Landingham?" Toby spoke after a few minutes of trying to kick her out with evil stares, and loud growls. All she did was smile down at him.
"Yes?"
"Are you going to leave the room so I can go take a shower?" Toby asked, almost pleading. With all his luck, she would pop up during his shower with another 'order' that should have been presented as an offered idea. She was exactly the same Mrs. Landingham that kept piece and respect in the outer oval office. Only without the homemade cookies he never got.
"Oh, sorry," She smiled and started to walk out of the bedroom. "Don't take long." She called over her shoulder. Another 'order', he thought. Why did he get the feeling today was going to end up worse than yesterday?
"Yeah, yeah," Toby mumbled his response once she was long gone and got out of bed to start his day. He carefully guarded certain viewing areas on his person while he padded into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. This was silly. He lived alone, and he was locking his bathroom door to keep ghosts out of his private space! He cursed himself before starting the shower.
After the shower, Toby walked out of the bathroom in just his boxers, totally forgetting about his early morning visitor after his extra long shower that he fell asleep three times in. He padded into the kitchen barefoot to start the coffee machine so he can start waking up.
"Nice," She appraised his look with a chuckle. She was sitting atop one of the counters in his kitchen, feet just dangling away.
"Oh crap!" Toby responded, suddenly covering his most private part with his hands. "I got my shirt wet." He explained weakly. "And I don't owe you an explanation!" He corrected quickly as he glared at her.
"No need to explain Toby. I was married once. I know how men look while they're walking around the house in the morning." She smiled at his discomfort. She might as well have some fun with him while she could. She was only here for a limited time, and he was the only one she could have contact with.
"I'll go change." He mentioned as he started back toward the way he came to dress for the day. Ghost or not, he was not for her viewing pleasure.
"Make your coffee first Toby. Don't worry about it." She explained softly, trying to make him feel better. She jumped off the counter with ease, almost as if she was floating on air. Maybe she was, for all he knew.
"I think I'll get dressed. Besides, I have to go to work early." He blurted out before stopping himself. He shut his eyes and rubbed his temple, already feeling a headache coming full steam ahead. She wouldn't like the fact that he was planning on going in early. She would have another 'order' that would probably make him go out and jog the block a few times. The idea had him wanting to find a cliff and hauling his ass overboard.
"No, you don't." She started with that 'order' tone.
"Yes I do." He argued. She was not going to will this time. No way.
"No, you don't." She argued back. Did he actually think he could win this battle with her? She asked herself silently with amusement.
"Mrs. Landingham, I work in the White House. I'm the Communications Director. I have important things to do." He explained, trying to keep his temper level. She was Mrs. Landingham, after-all. Respect had always been shown, and will continue as long as he can manage it. She's a feisty dead woman. He'd give her that.
"Call her." She said simply. Loving the fact that she could trip him up in his own home.
"What?" Toby asked in confusion at the change of the topic. He was still half asleep, has had absolutely no coffee, and she was already playing mind tricks with him again. He rubbed his temple with more force.
"Ask her if you can pick her up for work. Offer her a ride. Be a gentleman." She explained with a grin. He had no idea what she was talking about. She liked playing with him. Yes, as mean as it was to do this to someone before morning coffee was usually beneath someone like her. But he wanted to work early, and wouldn't take her no for an answer. So, on with confusing conversation. She smiled to herself.
"What the hell..." Toby gave up, and tossed his hands in the air in frustration. Not only was he at a complete loss as to what she was talking about, but he could see her grinning and knew she was enjoying torturing him.
"CJ." Mrs. Landingham mentioned after a few moments. She was hoping he would figure it out, but he was just looking at her with wide-eyes full of confusion and annoyance.
"CJ has a car last time I checked. Why would she want me to drive her? Besides, I was talking about something else." He said, trying to remember the prior topic he was about to set forth and win. He made no shocked faces or sounds when she mentioned CJ's name. She was probably watching the whole embarrassing scene from his window last night when CJ had waited to say goodnight to him. He hid back a smile, not wanting to reward the woman poking her head into his already messy life.
"I know you were talking about something else, but I want to talk about this. Call her." She crossed her arms and said insistently. She mentally patted him on the back for showing backbone.
"No." He mimicked her stance by crossing his arms in front of his chest, holding his head high.
"Yes." She nodded knowingly.
"No."
"Yes."
"You know what? You're starting to bug me." Toby pointed at her, almost as if he was issuing her a warning.
"I know. I love it," She smiled. She watched his face go from shocked, too angry, to back to shocked again. He was trying so hard not to yell at her. Good boy. If she only had one of her homemade cookies, he'd finally get one from her.
"I am not going to call her. Besides, why would I?" He asked, confused again as to why they were even talking about this. If he didn't sound like a big enough nut job last night, what would she think of him if he called and asked her if she would like a ride to work. Even though she lived nowhere near him, or the White House. She would think him insane, tell the President, and he'd be talking with a shrink by weeks' end. The idea made him actually sick to his stomach.
"You love her." Mrs. Landingham answered, saying it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if everyone knew it to be true besides the two people it would directly impact.
"What?" Toby asked loudly. Completely flabbergasted about this whole conversation. She was a ghost, not a physic. Or was she? God, he needed to be put into straitjacket and locked away for the rest of his years. Maybe she was here to do just that. Another joke on him by the Man upstairs.
"Oh Toby. It's obvious. I'm not stupid." She shook her head, a smile tugging the corner of her lips. He was a brilliant man, she didn't need to play dumb and explain it all to him. He loved her. He knew that. But, he is Toby Ziegler, and he would deny any such accusation just because he doesn't like the idea that someone can see through him.
"I do not love her." He defended. Well, he waited less then a minute before denying it. She smiled, knowing he was mentally cursing himself for that error.
"Yes you do." She bantered back playfully.
"No, I don't."
"Yes you do."
"Stop that!" Toby yelled, growing tired of the back-and-forth 'yes' and 'no' game they kept running into. "Look. I like her as a friend. She is a friend. That's it. And guess what?" He knew denying it would do him no good, but he hated the fact that she saw it. That she saw the love he tried so hard to hide from everyone when it came to CJ. Hell, even Andrea never saw it.
"What?" She hiked her shoulders up, acting hurt at the outburst. It wouldn't work on him.
"She is a friend who has a car," Toby finished sarcastically before heading up to his room to get changed. Ha! He finally had the last word.
"Fine. You don't call her. I'll make her call you." She said quietly as she watched him exit the kitchen and waited until his figure disappeared down the hallway.
Less than five minutes later, the phone began ringing.
Toby was in the middle of dressing when he heard the phone. He walked over and answered it without thinking twice about who it might be.
"Hello?" He answered, almost abruptly. He was in the middle of tying his neck tie, which he wasn't good at in the first place, let alone having to multitask.
"Toby, I need a favour." CJ's voice boomed out, causing Toby to stop dead in his tracks.
"CJ? What's wrong?" He asked, trying to sound passive.
"My car won't start. I don't know what's wrong with the piece of junk. Can you possibly pick me up on your way to work?" She asked. " I know it's out of the way, and we might be late. I'll..."
"Your car won't start." Toby repeated without any shock at all. CJ's voice fading in his ear as he looked over at his open bedroom door and saw Mrs. Landingham standing there with a cat-ate-the-canary smile on her face. "That's a surprise," He mumbled as he glared over at the woman.
"What?" CJ asked, confused. She was in the middle of apologizing to him for the bother when he mumbled something she didn't understand.
"Oh, nothing. I'll be there in 20 minutes." Toby answered finally. His voice sounded flat, and he quickly covered his tracks. "It's no problem." He ignored the thumbs-up his comment got from Mrs. Landingham.
"Thanks Toby." She smiled into the receiver, suddenly sadly aware he couldn't hear her smile. She quickly began thinking of ways she could pay him back. Maybe lunch?
"Yeah." Toby mumbled shyly.
After saying quick goodbyes, Toby hung up the phone and looked over at Mrs. Landingham with irritation. Now he would likely be late for work, and he knew he couldn't explain to Leo it was because of the Presidents' former secretary.
"Well, congratulations. You have succeeded. I'm picking her up for work," Toby confirmed reluctantly. Not allowing the small feeling he felt of being a gallant sneak through for her pleasure. He was happy CJ had called him before anyone else. Or did she just call him because the Powers That Be forced her to? Great, now he just felt used and irritated.
"I know. I'm very proud of myself," She smiled, then laughed at Toby's expression that dripped of annoyance.
"Go away now." Toby ordered with a wave is his hand. Maybe he could forge some powers and make all of this go away and he can wake up in his bed, with no one lurking in the shadows, and start the day all over again. But, she still smirked with her face full of triumph.
"See you later." She called out behind her shoulder as she walked back out into the hallway and disappeared.
"I can't wait," Toby mumbled his fake excitement as he finished buttoning up his shirt. Brown. CJ liked him in brown. He closed his eyes and moaned in aggravation. Great, now it's like high school all over again.
TBC