Category: Drama/Humour. And fluff, slightly ashamed fluff.

Summary: The smallest of our acts remembered as heroism by others. Toby/Sam friendship.

Spoilers: Episodes up to Disaster Relief. The first four parts of this series: "Rolling with the Punches", "Three Wishes", "Green-Eyed Monsters" and "Of Fathers and Sons".

Disclaimer: The West Wing is not mine but remains the exclusive property of Aaron Sorkin et al. Fiona however is mine. And also possibly an office I invited close to Communications for her.

A/N: Yep, I finally wrote another one... Couldn't help it. Had writers block on it forever though, because the voices wouldn't come right. I think it's better now, but please review. It's kinda dispiriting to watch how reviews have declined on this series...

'Can I hide in here?' Sam ducked into Toby's office, closing the door and shuttering the blinds before Toby could reply.

Toby gave Sam a cursory look, and then turned back to the computer screen. 'No,'

'Really?' Sam asked in surprise.

'Are you going to leave if I say yes?'

'No.'

'Then let's assume I won't waste my breath. Did you mortally offend someone?'

'Your wife.'

'I don't have a wife, Sam,' Toby pointed out in his talking-to-idiots voice.

'Ex-wife then.'

'Andy isn't here. She's not coming by for hours.'

'I know that,' Sam answered.

'And yet you're in here...why?'

'She keeps calling me. She's trying to get me to take one of her friends out. Every time I look around Ginger or Bonnie is handing me a message to call her back. I think they're in cahoots.'

'Cahoots? Don't explain. Shall I assume you don't want to date this woman?'

Sam peeked through the blinds. 'I really don't. I'm sure she's a lovely person, but, and I say this with the greatest respect for your wife...'

'Ex-wife.'

'...the women she sets me up with are always scary.'

'Scary?' Toby repeated incredulously.

'Hey, you try explaining to a very angry female democrat why the President isn't being more pro-active about widening access to abortion.'

Toby didn't comment, but understanding dawned in his eyes.

There was a banging on the door.

Sam's eyes flicked round the room desperately and for a second Toby was convinced he was going to try and hide under the desk. Apparently he decided against it and called back, 'We're locked in trying to finish this speech. Come back later.'

'Sam?' Fiona replied. 'There is no speech.'

Sam froze. Thinking quickly he answered, 'The education one.'

'Sam. There is no speech. You're not writing the speech until later, and I know this because you're writing it with me. What's more, it isn't an education address. Just because we always have some kind of education initiative going does not mean it's the best bet for a lie. I need to ask you something about the prisons op-ed.'

Reluctantly, Sam opened the door.

Fiona waltzed in, stuck a note to Sam's forehead, and left.

He peeled it off and handed it to Toby, muttering about treacherous deputies.

Sam,

I really think you might like this girl. She's your type.

Tomorrow at 8? Call me back

AW

'You have two options,' Toby said. 'One, you credit her for her persistence and go. Two, leave the country.'

'What about three – ignore her until she goes away?'

Toby just laughed.

'No?' Sam asked.

He laughed some more. 'No,' Toby agreed. He got up, jerking his head at the door. 'Senior Staff.'

'What about the meeting with Mark Ryder?'

'Sam's taking it.'

Sam whipped round to look at Toby, 'No I'm not.'

'Yes, you are.'

'No, I'm not.'

'Yes, you are.'

'Let's cut this off before it gets ridiculous. No, I'm not. One, I'm locked in with the social security address. Two, I told you that I didn't want to do the Ryder meeting because it has nothing to do with communications, and it's just the kind of meeting I'm not supposed to be filling my time with anymore.' Sam finished fiercely.

Toby rubbed at his temples in frustration. 'I will concede that you told me you didn't want to do the meeting, Sam. Where we disagree is what happened after that. I'm leaving early today, I can't take the meeting.'

'Why are you leaving early?' Sam asked curiously.

'It's not important.'

'In that case,' Leo growled, 'will you just take the damn meeting so we can get on with our lives? It won't be more than an hour, and then you can take off and start your weekend.'

'I...'

'Good,' the President said, effectively cutting off any further argument. 'What's next?'

'Toby.'

Toby pushed past Sam, who was hovering at the door of his office. 'Go.'

'Toby!' Sam repeated, more insistently this time.

'I don't have time for you. I have a meeting to prepare for.'

'Dammit, Toby! I don't have time to take the meeting. What's the problem anyway? Did you and Mark Ryder get into a fight while I was away?'

'Go and write your speech, Sam.'

Sam pounded his head on the desk.

'Problem, Sam?' Fiona enquired sweetly.

'Why do you ask?' he responded wearily.

'Well... there's our lack of progress on this speech, the fact that you've closed the blinds to Toby's office... plus the fact that you seem to be trying to beat your brain cells to death.'

'It's nothing. It's just... we're going backwards again. Every time I think we're getting somewhere...'

'Maybe he just doesn't like you,' Fiona suggested, as straight-faced as she could manage.

'You're not helping.'

'I just don't think this is anything to worry about. Toby gets into these moods, he comes out of them. I doubt anyone but you even notices that he's in a worse mood than usual. Considering the baseline, after all.'

'I just wish he would tell me what's wrong.'

'One more hour, that's all! ... I know you have a flight to catch ... I'll pay someone for an hour ... I know this is the third time ... don't do that. Don't do that ... Would you listen to me, for once in our relationship!'

Toby banged the phone down hard.

'Toby?' Ginger poked her head around the door timidly.

'He's out,' Sam answered from the couch. 'So we stole the couch. Is it something I can do?'

'It's a message from Congresswoman Wyatt. She wanted to confirm that he can't take the twins.'

'What?' Sam asked in surprise.

She ducked her head. 'Toby was supposed to have the babies this weekend while Andy's in Maryland. He must have called and cancelled I guess.'

Sam stood up urgently. 'When was he supposed to take them?'

'This afternoon. That's why he's going home early.'

'Why did no one tell me this?'

'It's been in his book for weeks.'

'Why did no one tell me this?'

'I don't know, Sam. You want me to get Toby out of the meeting?'

'No. Get me Andy Wyatt on the phone.'

Toby rounded the corner into the Communications bullpen. The meeting, as it transpired, had in fact taken two and a half hours. Not that it made any difference now. He looked around. Ginger and Bonnie were, for reasons unknown, pressing their noses against the glass of his office window. When he stepped towards them, he was quickly shushed.

'Sam's telling them stories,' Bonnie whispered.

'Okay, why is Sam in my office, why is he telling stories, and who in this building needs to be told them?' he asked incredulously.

'Huck and Molly,' Bonnie replied.

'What?'

'Huck and Molly.'

'I heard that,' he snapped. 'Why does Sam have my kids?'

'He called Congresswoman Wyatt and told her he would watch them until you were done,' Ginger answered.

'I think he promised more than that,' Bonnie added, grinning.

'She said she was taking them with her,' Toby protested.

The two women shrugged. 'She changed her mind?' Ginger offered.

Toby went to open the door fully, changed his mind, and stood beside it instead. He could just about see in. Sam was sitting on the couch, a baby balanced carefully on each knee.

Sam's voice came clearly through the gap. 'Okay. Well that's all the stories I know.'

One of the babies, Huck he thought, burbled softly.

'What's that?' Sam asked. 'You think I should make one up? Well, I am a writer after all. And, just between you and me, I'm not all that bad. I have this great story about pilgrim detectives...'

Again, for all intents and purposes, Sam paused for a response.

'Well you would say that, Molly. Daughters have to think their Daddy's are best. In this case, however, you're right. Your Daddy's the best writer I know. And I know a lot of writers.'

Toby could see Sam, silhouetted, lean his forehead against Molly's.

He whispered, 'A story about Daddy? I know lots of stories about your Daddy. He's sort of a hero of mine. The Batman to my Robin. You probably don't get that reference, because right now comic books are just something to chew on, but one day you will. So, what sort of a story would you like? A happy one? Sorry honey, the great stories are always sad before they get happy again. If there's anything this job's taught me it's that you should have to work for a happy-ending, otherwise it isn't worth anything. So this story is sad first. But I promise it gets better, okay?

It was a dark and stormy night in Gotham city. Batman and Robin had a tough job to do. The two of them kept trying to beat the bad-guys, but they kept coming. It was hard to tell whether they were making any difference. Robin seemed to find it especially hard. Their home was falling apart around them, and he was bad at coping with that. So he decided to run away. He didn't really want to go, but he knew that he couldn't stay. He wanted to prove that he could be just as good without Batman, and everyone else. He wanted to do something good, not just the least bad thing. He was sick of having to be rescued, and getting the easy jobs. So he ran away to be Nightwing.

Now, Batman, that's your Daddy of course, knew that Robin shouldn't go. He knew that it was too much for him. But, and this is the good part of the story, he came to see him. Now Nightwing was losing. There were too many bad-guys and no matter what they did, it just got worse. Even Batman couldn't save him. But he came anyway. He made sure that they went down fighting, together. And no matter what happened to Nightwing afterwards, when he came back to Gotham to be Robin, and when he eventually left again, he would never forget that. His mentor, who had problems enough of its own, stood beside him to take some of the hits. That's what being a hero is, it's fighting the impossible battles, when all you can do is lose, because you love someone.

'That's who your Daddy is, Molly,' Sam whispered to the little girl. 'You and Huck are the luckiest kids in the world, because your Daddy loves you more than anything else in the world. More than his job, and more than himself, even more than his politics. He would kill for you. Your Daddy doesn't like fighting, but for you he'd take on the world. And I know, because he took on Orange County for me.'

Toby pushed the door open, and shut it firmly behind him. He lifted Huck from Sam.

Sam looked up in confusion, but he was left holding Molly, so shrugged and didn't flee the room.

'You're telling it wrong,' Toby mumbled. He looked away from Sam, and focussed on his son. 'Sam gets confused.'

Batman (Sam, there's no way of me getting out of this metaphor is there?) didn't want Nightwing to go, that part was right. But it wasn't because he thought Nightwing would lose. He knew that he would lose. Don't glare, it's true. The mission was too hard, it always was. It always was for people like them.. But that wasn't why he didn't want Robin to go. He didn't want Robin to turn into Nightwing because that would mean Robin becoming more like him. Batman was used to losing, but he didn't want that for Robin. If Robin stayed his sidekick, then... Batman wanted to protect him. He couldn't protect Gotham, and he couldn't protect his family, but he wanted to be able to do this.

There was a long silence, which Toby eventually broke. 'I'm too sad for her.' He paused on that word, it seemed too simple an explanation for his and Andy's problems.

'Toby! That's not...'

'That's what she said. She wouldn't move into a house with me because I'm too sad, and I bring it home. She thought I would be bad for our kids.'

'She said that?' Sam asked, an edge of outrage in his voice.

'That was what she meant. She doesn't want our babies to grow up into me.'

Sam tilted his head to one side. 'We both know that there are worse things your father can do than be sad.'

'That's not the issue, Sam. She thinks I'm a bad father.'

'She's wrong.'

'You're biased.'

'Why?'

'Because you...'

'Say it, Toby,' Sam asked, smiling.

Toby evaded. 'You have to like me, Sam. You work for me.'

'One, lets do a poll in the bullpen and test that theory. Two, that's crap. I don't like you. I love you, respect you, look up to you... quite often without actually liking you. Why does that make it not count? Because you work with me? I choose to work with you. So much so that I left and had to come back. I've spent more time with you than Andy has in the past few years. I'm normally regarded as a pretty good judge of character. And I think you're a great dad.'

'You make friends with hookers.'

'Call girl! Singular. And she was a good person. She didn't sell me out, and she wouldn't sell anyone else out. Which is better than a lot of people we've made deals with, and been smiling about doing it. How is that a bad choice for a friend?'

'You don't see the flaws people have. That's your problem.'

'I have faith in people. That doesn't mean I don't see the flaws, it just means I look past them. And with you... with you I don't need to look too far.'

There was a shout from outside the room. 'Sam!'

'Oh God.'

'Still need a hideout? A secret cave, maybe?'

Sam sighed, 'No, I should go out and face the music.'

'What did you do?'

'I have a date. She's probably calling to check the time.'

'This is Andy's friend? I thought you were avoiding her?'

'Like you said, you really just have to say yes and admire her persistence. I'm not ready to leave the country yet.' Sam handed Molly to her father, and walked to the door.

'Tell me that wasn't the deal?' Toby asked.

'What?'

'Tell me, Sam, that you didn't promise Andy you'd go out with this woman in exchange for getting me the kids.'

Sam opened the door. 'Bye.'

'Sam,' Toby growled.

'I owed you one. If I had known why you needed the time off, I would have taken the meeting.'

'But you didn't.'

'I should have asked.'

'So when you found out, morality compelled you to trade a date? See, Sam, this is why I don't let you associate with call-girls. You start picking things up.'

Sam laughed and pretended to consider. 'You think maybe I should have made a sliding scale? Date equals three hours extra. Goodnight kiss brings it up to three and a half...'

'Stop that thought right there.'

He just smiled. Sam walked back across the room and knelt at Toby's feet. Huck and Molly obediently received a kiss each, and Sam placed a hand on Toby's shoulder as he got up. 'Enjoy your weekend.'

'So this is the mighty Clan Ziegler?' the President proclaimed as Toby walked in with Huck. Sam walked in behind them, carrying Molly.

'Well, Sam's adopted, but we haven't told him yet,' Toby responded dryly.

'But I look just like you!' Sam mock-protested. 'I mean, obviously I have more hair, but apart from that...'

Toby handed Huck to CJ, took Molly to give to the President, and proceeded to whack Sam in the head.

While Sam was rubbing his head, and trying (and failing) to hit Toby back without walking into the table, Josh and Leo walked in. 'We're playing poker with minors?' Josh asked. 'Won't that get us, you know, arrested?'

'Once again, Josh displays his startling lack of knowledge of the law, despite the degree hanging proudly on his office wall.' CJ smirked.

'I have higher concerns,' Josh answered airily.

'Remember that when you're in front of the Supreme Court, will you?' she replied. 'Yes, it was illegal, but as Deputy Chief of Staff, I had higher concerns. That'll win us lots of votes.'

'I bet if we took a national poll, the public would be on my side.'

'Josh, I was just speaking in the hypothetical. What did you do?'

'Nothing, nothing,' he answered, leaning back and grinning.'

'Joshua, the next bad thing that happens, that I don't know who to blame it on, it's gonna be you, you know that?'

'Yeah, but I'm used to that by now.'

'Children!' Leo growled.

Jed leant over to whisper in Molly's ear, 'It's okay, he wasn't talking to you.' He looked up at Toby, 'She looks just like her mother.'

'So does Huck,' he replied, looking down at the child he had taken back from CJ

'Good thing, too,' the President answered. 'All my girls take after their mother.'

Sam was sitting beside Toby, and looked at Huck seriously. 'I think they both look like Toby.'

Josh was looking from the President, to Toby, to Sam in confusion. 'They look like babies.'

'Josh!'

'Every time I'm handed a baby someone tells me they look like their mom or dad. And every time they look, essentially, like a tiny pink thing in a hat.'

'Look!' Sam gestured wildly. 'Look at Huck, he's giving Josh Toby's glare.'

They all turned to look.

CJ tilted her head consideringly. 'Now that you mention it...'

'There is a certain, "if I could kill you with my brain, you would be a puddle on the floor" look to it.' Jed conceded.

Josh looked at Huck, who stared back, unblinking. 'Remind me to stay away from your son when he gets big enough to throw things.'

Jed laughed. 'Don't worry Josh, I'm sure, like his father, he finds scaring you more fun than the kill part.'

Toby nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

'So,' the President asked, 'Andy gets back tonight?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Did you have a good weekend with them? Do anything fun?'

'I took them to lots of places they won't remember seeing. But yes, I think we had a good weekend.'

'I'm sure they did. What about you, Samuel, I hear you had an interesting evening?'

'I met a very nice woman who criticised my stance on everything from education to foreign policy, and then asked for my number at the end of the night.'

'So like most of the women you date then?'

'Pretty much, sir,' Sam answered amidst the laughter.

'Why did you agree to that anyway? The last thing I heard you were doing everything in your power to avoid the date.'

'Favour to a friend, sir.'

'You and Andy are that close?'

Sam smiled slightly and stood up. 'I'll get the snacks.'

'Samuel?' Jed asked. 'I sense that was an attempt at distraction. What am I missing?'

'Nothing, sir. I'll be right back,' Sam walked towards the door.

'Toby?' the President tried.

Toby ignored the question and walked towards Sam, 'C'mon Boy Wonder, I'll help carry.'

The rest watched them leave. Josh looked after them musingly. 'They just get weirder and weirder.'

FIN. Feedback is welcomed as always. Oh, and Batman, Robin, and Nightwing obviously are not mine but the property of DC. (Hope those references were semi-intelligible to those who don't read comics or have a comic-obsessed little brother.)