The press had ran a minor story to match with the major ones of John and Cadence's meetings with the President of Colombia. The minor story however had picked up pace and popularity thanks to an accompanying photograph, drawing the White House's attention to it. The story was that Cadence McGarry had taken a turn after her meeting with the President of Colombia, a mild faint from heatstroke. What had followed was the now seemingly heroic and chivalrous Vice President running to her aid. The proof was in a photograph that had leaked of Vice President Hoynes crouched down with Cadence in his arms as he started to lift her.

John's popularity had soared an impressive fifty points on the back of it and he was now more popular in the country than he had ever been. In public his wife Suzanne was singing his praises, smiling and telling everyone how he was always like that, a true Southern gentleman.

C.J currently stood with Josh, Sam and Toby scrutinising the photograph, which was laid out before them on the grainy print of a newspaper.

"He does look good," C.J admitted. She was reluctant to say it and took on an opposing stance with her arms folded and a severity in her stare but yet it was the stare that betrayed her as it was fixated on the picture. "Although it's not flattering to Cadence," she scorned. "She meets with the President of Colombia but this is the photo that does the rounds."

John almost looked posed. He was a handsome man and highly photogenic. His hair was only mildly wavy with the humidity, messy but in an appealing manner and his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, untidy but it showed off his muscular arms as they embraced Cadence.

"I mean it's almost sweet," she added as she gestured to the photograph, which was currently on Toby's desk.

"Sweet," Toby sneered as he smacked the newspaper with the back of his hand, "it's sickening. He goes to make peace and he's out looking like a God damn hero, I'd swear they planned it if it wasn't so good."

"I said almost Toby," C.J retorted defensively. "And who are they?" she queried.

"Planned it?" Sam echoed as he glanced at Toby dubiously.

Sam was certain there were things about Colombia they didn't know. The Vice President and Cadence had been back for three days now but no more dark surprises had slipped out and everything seemed peaceful. Colombia was pacified, the CIA had been forced to shut up and swallow its lies, Cadence was now in the clear with the American people and yet things were very amiss. Sam hadn't seen Mallory since Cadence's return, she had refused to leave her sister's side and that in itself was a clue, if Mallory was with her then Cadence wasn't back at work.

Like the press and the public, Sam and the others had been informed of Cadence having a faint from sunstroke. There was no mention to them of kidnappings or threats. They all sensed a deception, one which Josh and Toby deeply resented whilst Sam and C.J were willing to consider that given they had almost risked war it was maybe for their own good whatever the deception was.

"Well he's made good publicity from this," Toby grumbled.

Josh was the only one who remained silent as he stared down at the photograph. He wondered how the others missed it and if everyone else had missed it too. To him the way John stared at Cadence was unmistakable. There was a deep seriousness to the Vice President's blue stare as he fixed it on her and only her. Josh wondered when C.J might inadvertently spring upon it by suggesting John's protective embrace was perhaps romantic rather than sweet.

Josh couldn't believe how John had let himself be caught in such a vulnerable, risky position. He wondered if John had even noticed his own deceiving stare in the picture or if he had let his ego take over once more and saw only how heroic he looked to the people.

There was another issue Josh took with the photograph and he voiced it quietly without meaning to. "It does make Cadence look like a damsel," he murmured.

C.J nodded agreeably. "It's true, as I said, it's unflattering to her, which isn't fair. She went there alone, without the White House shield, that took guts. Rather than praise her for it or show a picture of her shaking the President of Colombia's hand unflinching they run this repeatedly."

"But you said he looked cute," Toby mocked her with a sneer as he smacked the newspaper again dramatically.

"Sweet Toby," she corrected curtly, "I said sweet and I said almost, you keep forgetting that bit."

"You're still looking at his picture!" Toby scorned her.

"There you see," C.J retaliated as she finally glanced up at the man. "That's it in a nutshell," she held her hand out to him, "you call it his picture not theirs. It's all about him, read the caption- Vice President rushes to assistant's aid," she scorned the quote, "they don't name Cadence in it and they don't get her job title right."

"They did name her in the article," Sam corrected quietly.

Sam almost flinched at the glower C.J gave him.

Reminded of the inequality to Cadence and women in general, C.J found the spell of John's appeal lifted from her once more. She reached to the offending article with one finger, running down it until she found the quote mentioning Cadence.

"Cadence McGarry," C.J read aloud, "daughter of Chief of Staff Leo McGarry." She glanced up from the article to Sam with a sardonic smile. "So, we get her father's title but not hers, as if she matters only through her father."

Josh folded his arms as he smirked over at C.J. "Just a sec," he addressed her jovially, "I thought you liked this story!"

"Well parts of it I do," C.J admitted as she stood upright, "in that it's good press for the White House, it shows our VP in a good light and it's a light story nicely taking away from the awkward, offending ones we've been dealing with lately. A good way to smooth over the saga of Colombia. However, it has successfully undermined all the work Cadence has done with one lousy photograph, she was doing charity work in Colombia and falsely accused of terrorism and she had to go down to Colombia with that suspicion over her to clear her own name but all they're promoting is that she fainted from the heat and the Vice President somehow saved her from this," C.J scorned.

Josh continued to smile. "Well now, don't forget she did help make this mess by not giving anyone a clue about it."
"Josh I know it's hard for you to accept she is actually human and not a demon," C.J addressed him sardonically with a tense smile, "but try, I know you can. We all know enough to know that she went through a lot of bad things that scared her into silence. None of us can say with any certainty if we would have acted differently."

"Well now wait a minute," Toby began an irate protest.

C.J held up the palm of her right hand to silence him. "You haven't been through it Toby, you cannot know for sure," she said firmly.

C.J placed her palms down around the edges of the paper and leaned on the desk as she took in the three men. "It's been fun gentlemen but I now have to go and address the press pool regarding this..."

C.J paused and glanced down at the paper again, unsure what to refer to it as.

"Careful you don't drool over your new fancy," Toby remarked bitingly with another hostile look at the paper.

C.J flinched at the remark and for a very brief moment her cheeks flared a faint pink. She stood upright, shrugging off an unwanted memory as she did.

"Toby you're just jealous," she taunted. "It's not often I say this about our Vice but give the man some credit where it's due."

"I would if I thought his ego needed it," Toby continued to scoff.

"Well that's a little unfair," Sam mumbled, "I mean the Vice President has warranted some of his pride, don't you think? I mean he's gotten to the office of Vice President after all, that's no easy feat."

"But it's not quite President, is it?" Toby snipped back as he gave his inferior a displeased stare.

"See you later," C.J retorted cheerfully.

The tall woman turned and headed briskly from Toby's room in the direction of the press pool. She had been expecting a better briefing with the men, some other news to present to the press but this morning was unusually slow. Sure the West Wing was as busy as ever but the news was not. They all knew it was just the calm before the next storm and hell hadn't Colombia been one hell of a storm but it was hard to appreciate the calm when you couldn't stop fearing what was coming next.

C.J stepped into the room with her usual warm tranquillity to greet familiar press people with a smile.

"Good morning," she welcomed them cheerfully as she stood behind the familiar podium. Once it had given her anxiety as she felt like a priest at the pulpit addressing the masses but now the wooden stand as a comfort to her, the platform to elevate her so that she could always been above the rabble of media and clearly in charge of this world.

"Good morning C.J," they retorted gamely.

C.J went through her briefings, talking through the major headlines that really weren't so major and off letting a dump of stories with a vagueness that ensured they would be forgotten they moment they left her mouth. She hated that part, the old 'but we did tell you' when really what they'd done was shoved a little snipping of a headline of a story in amongst a ramble of boring headlines to ensure it was forgotten and not scented out by the press bloodhounds because it was something that made the White House uncomfortable. This time it was a curious death on a military base, thought to be racially motivated but no it was vengeance for blackmail committed by the victim, only the parents of said victim were too proud and devoted to believe it and were still crying racism against the overwhelming, damning evidence. C.J empathised with all parties involved but she could see how it could be blown out of proportion and easily misinterpreted to cast an unwanted shadow on the military. Given the public suspicion of the CIA, they didn't need people turning on their military too.

Now it was question time and C.J was intrigued to see what was asked.

"Yes, Jess," she pointed to a female journalist.

"C.J what's the White House opinion on the Vice President's actions in Colombia?"

C.J narrowed her eyes and gave a coy look. "Pleased with his meeting with both the President and Vice President of Colombia."

Jess smiled and shook her head as she held up her pen again. "No C.J, with his actions regarding Cadence McGarry. Reckless, heroic?" she prompted.

"Jess, it was an honest reaction to one of his people being in a brief moment of unease, the White House respects that," C.J answered calmly.

This time it was Danny's hand up. He was front and centre as always, a place well earned over the years and one C.J always tried not to be conscious of and yet every time she stepped into the room she couldn't resist sneaking a glance at him.

"C.J, what about Cadence McGarry, how is she?" Danny pried.

"She's fine Danny," C.J said dismissively.

"No one's seen her, and she's not back at work," Danny pressed for information, "is she fine?"

C.J frowned at the man, thinking how it wasn't really that long ago he'd come a peacemaker to warn her about a fluff piece on Cadence that might turn into something more, which of course it had. Now here he was trying to make a story out of a fluff piece.

"Danny I haven't seen her personally but I am told that she is," C.J answered bluntly.

She regretted the words the moment they were out. It was a lie, no one had told her that. She had asked of course, they all had, prying to Leo about his youngest welfare out of concern for Leo and Cadence. Leo however had refrained from answering, he had been unusually irate about it and snapped that it was a private family manner and that Cadence was no longer fodder for gossip. The latter remark had stung since none of them was seeking to gossip about her, even Josh was genuinely concerned about her welfare despite his jabs at her expense.

"By who?" Danny queried, making C.J wonder if he sensed the lie.

"By sources close with her and on this matter I am not going to say anymore, she deserves her privacy." C.J gave him a wide smile to ease the bluntness of her voice but her blue stare expressed her sternness.

Another hand was up.

C.J gestured to it. She was still showing a pleasant facade but her joy had gone and she was shifting to autopilot mode whilst her mind worried over what she had said to Danny.

"C.J, will Vice President Hoynes replace Cadence McGarry?" A reporter called Jeff pried. "Or has he even considered a temporary replacement?"

"Jeff those are questions for the Eisenhower team, speak with Jeremy Rolston for that," C.J answered flatly.

C.J glanced pointedly at the clock. "One more question is all we have time for folks," she announced.

There was the expected groans and hands darting up.

"Rob," C.J commanded.

"C.J, what's your personal thoughts on the Vice President running to Cadence's aid?"

"I don't know Rob, you tell me yours first," she answered with a smile that bore a slight hint of venom to it.

There was a mild chorus of giggles amongst the other reporters.

"I think dashing is a good word," Rob answered cheerfully with a smile.

There was the expected chortle at this.

C.J's smile warmed a little. "Well I do like that word," she enthused. "Look, I think he did the right thing but let's not blow it out of proportion just because he's the Vice President, he did what any decent human being would and it shouldn't matter about gender either," she added heatedly, "good humans help good humans, that's it. The lid is on."

There was a murmur of confusion amongst the press core but C.J was done. She ignored the pleas for more and waved off the hands as she exited the room.

Once free, C.J gave a loud groan of despair and raised her palm to her brow, pushing it through her coppery-brown hair before she hastened to her office. All the while she wondered if her answer to Danny was as bad as she feared.

It took only fifteen minutes before Josh was in to annoy her. She was already flustered when he arrived in her office, trying and failing to distract herself with paperwork in between pacing her office, half-convincing herself that she was just trying to work up her steps for the day.

"Good humans help good humans?" Josh taunted with a grin as he charged in without waiting for permission. "That's very articulate of you C.J."

She lowered her water bottle to give him a withering stare. "Oh bite me Lyman," she snapped before taking a deep gulp.

"Consider me the lesser evil here C.J, Toby is right on my tail."

C.J didn't even time to react to that before Toby charged in right on cue. His face was full of fury as he slammed her office door shut behind him.

"C.J did looking at Hoynes with his shirt open addle your brain or something?!" Toby snapped as he glowered up at her.

Josh snickered before he could help it. He fell silent at the heated glower he earned from Toby and raised a finger half-heartedly like a pupil seeking permission to seek. "He um didn't have his shirt open Toby," he said, his voice growing weaker as the glower intensified, "just the sleeves rolled up."

"I don't care!" Toby roared.

C.J and Josh both flinched at the yell.
Josh fought the urge to argue that Toby did seem to care and in fact seemed as fixated with John's image as C.J but for vastly different reasons.

Toby's scorching returned to C.J. "Does it annoy you that you lost your wits over that photograph?" Toby snarled. "Is that why you undermined the man?"

"Undermined him?" C.J gaped in surprise. "Toby what? I didn't do that!"

She sat her water bottle down and turned to face Toby with genuine shock, this was not what she had been expecting to be scolded for.

"Let's not blow it out of proportion just because he's the Vice President," Toby repeated her words with an added anger. "C.J you as good as implied he only acted that way because of his station and that he doesn't deserve due credit because of his prestigious title, it's a double insult damn it!" Toby's voice took up volume again.

He waved his hand up and down in emphasis to his yelling.

Josh shrank back from the gesture, afraid that he might get smacked in an unintended crossfire.

"Right when we were getting on track! Why couldn't you say no comment? Or good? How hard is that? How hard?! Damn it this isn't kindergarten anymore, mistakes like these are costly! We don't need anymore hostility seen between the Vice President and the President or their respected offices!"

"Alright Toby!" C.J snapped back, fed up now with the telling off. "That is not what I meant at all, I meant we should see good gestures from people as a norm not an exception, that was all I meant! If one of his staff had run out there they would be deserving of the same praise!"

"C.J don't be naïve," Toby snapped.

He threw his hands up in the air, turned and stormed out of the office.

"What is eating him?" C.J cried out as gestured after him with one hand and looked to Josh for an answer.

Josh shrugged as he stared after Toby. "I don't know. I think he's jealous of Hoynes."

C.J looked to Josh with a stunned expression. "What? Why?"

Josh shrugged again. "He's good looking, charismatic, charming, women like him." He gave a small grin and glanced at C.J. "Kind of the opposite of Toby don't you think?"

"Well right now, yeah," C.J grumbled as she folded her arms. "Maybe Toby should get out of kindergarten and realise the Vice President isn't perfect."

"And there you're back to the we're all equals implication," Josh jested.

"Well we are," C.J snapped.

"Just some are more equal than others," Josh continued to mock her.

Josh's brown stare turned serious and he thumbed his nose lightly. "Hey C.J," he said quietly, "your answer to Danny, who's your source? Leo won't tell us anything about Cadence not even to say if she is fine."

C.J sighed and leaned against her desk with one hand whilst raising the other to her brow. She shook her head. "Josh he caught me out," she confessed. "I don't have a source."

"Oh."

C.J cocked her head slightly to peer at Josh through the gaps in her fingers. "I know. Do you think Leo will be mad?"

Josh nodded. "Probably, do you want me to talk to him first?"

C.J lowered her hand and waved him off with it. "No, it's my fault, I'll apologise for it."

"Alright, and don't worry about Toby, he's bugged about this for some other reason, it's not you."

Thump. Thump. Thump. Sam drummed harder on his keyboard in an attempt to drown out a sound that over the past few months had become annoyingly familiar. Thump. Thump. Thump.

When there was a crash and a spray of glass, Sam could ironically no longer ignore the thumping even though it had ceased.

Toby entered the room at once cross and remorseful. He headed for the offending baseball that had causing the thumping and then the crash that had left a sizeable hole in Sam's window.

"Sorry," Toby muttered as he seized the ball up from the floor, narrowly avoiding glass as he did.

Toby glanced at the breakage. "I'll get someone to sort that."

Sam leaned back in his chair and looked to his boss with a calm curiosity. "Toby, what's wrong?" he queried gently.

It was late in the afternoon and despite the overall tranquillity of the day there was a constant tenseness in the air like the heaviness that came before the thunder. They all knew something bad was coming eventually but no one could fathom what or when and Sam didn't like it. Usually there were telltale ripples, a hint of the problem that gave them a chance to get on top of it but right now the waters were calm and he dreaded what might be lurking underneath them.

Toby let out a loud dramatic sigh before clenching the worn, cream ball tight in his hands until his knuckles turned red.

"Andy said it was a sexy look," he grumbled, "can you believe that?" He whirled on Josh with a look of fury. "She said he looked a fifties film star and I'm not even sure what that's meant to mean and she said that whole shirt collar, button, sleeve thing, whatever the hell it was, she said it was a good look for him."

Toby let out a strangled laugh that had Sam's blue eyes widening with alarm.

"He's the Vice President, dishevelled should not be a good look for anyone in that job!" Toby yelled.

Sam, more conscious of the hole in the window letting noise out into the corridor than Toby was, kept his voice quiet as he responded.

"Um Toby, why exactly were you and your ex-wife discussing the Vice President?" Sam asked. He was a little fearful of what the answer would be.

"Well Ginger and Bonnie were crooning over him and then Andy phoned so I asked her," Toby answered bluntly. He dropped his hands by his sides but kept clutching the baseball. "Then she said that word and I argued about it and she went into more detail."

Toby paused and looked at Josh seriously. "Josh, do you think it was a good look? Do you think women want that? Do you think the office isn't enough? That maybe no matter the job women still expect that dashing rescue?"

Sam was surprised by the questions and the troubled stare in Toby's dark eyes. Toby had a neurotic personality, it was easy for him to get in a rage fuelled fluster or a manic panic if he thought the President had forgotten some important line or was botching his speech but Sam didn't think he had seen the man fluster over vanity before.

"Toby I think you're reading far too much into this," Sam responded calmly, "and that C.J has a valid point in suggesting it's unfair to take a snapshot like that and call the woman a damsel and forget everything else she did. It was nice but it was just a fluff piece Toby, a feel good image to admire and chuckle over, it'll pass."

"Hmm Sam, I take your point, I do but it's not helping me right not because you are avoiding the question a little and I'm a bit self-conscious now. There I admit it," Toby rambled. "I wonder if it's not enough, am I not enough? Do I...do I need to do that thing with my sleeves?" he queried mystified as he glanced at his arms which were concealed beneath shirt sleeves layered with his black jacket sleeves.

Toby scratched at his head and frowned. "Is Hoynes up there because he's got looks? Is that it? Is he ..." Toby trailed off and bristled, shuddering as if he had just tasted something vile. "Is he sexy Sam? Am I not?"

Sam sank back against his seat with a look of discomfort. "Um Toby I think that we're crossing some line here and really it's outside my job description."

"Damn it Sam!" Toby snapped. "I'm reaching out to you as a friend and asking you man to man here!"

Toby stepped forward and lowered his voice as he leaned down and across the desk slightly. "Look I'm a proud man Sam so this takes a lot, believe me but I...well I haven't had a date in a while and now I'm wondering if I ever will because I don't have sky blue eyes and glossy dark hair as Ginger put it this morning and bulging arms as my dear ex-wife said and..."

"Toby!" Sam interjected. "Look," he raised his hands in a calming gesture, "did they tell you, you lacked those qualities or simply stated that the Vice President had them?"

"The latter Sam but what's your point?" Toby grumbled with a frown.

"That you sought their opinion, at least you said you asked for Andy's, about the Vice President, not about you. Look, you don't need to compare yourself to him, and you do have blue eyes and dark hair by the way, but what you need is to get out there and look for someone," he enthused. "You're intelligent, you've a great job, you have plenty of assets Toby."

"Don't patronise me Sam," Toby scorned.

"I'm not." Sam pushed his chair back and stood up. "How about you, me and Josh go out for a few drinks and test the waters?"

"Test the waters? Sam what does that even mean?"

Sam gave his boss a warm grin. "You know, find you someone. Josh can be your wingman, he's single too."

Toby let out a despairing groan at this. "Well now there's no hope."

Toby turned from Sam and headed for the office door.

"How about tonight?" Sam called. "Toby? Toby tonight?"

Toby just kept walking and escaped the office without a response.

Sam raised a hand in a wave even though Toby did not glance back.

"I'll tell Josh, we'll say around nine," Sam called enthusiastically.

C.J was tense as she stepped into the Chief of Staff's office. Even though she had been bracing herself for this there was a difference between preparing for something and actually wanting to deal with it. This she definitely did not want to deal with it.

Leo was quiet as he sat at his desk, head bowed to some notes as he wrote on them.

C.J couldn't tell if the man was genuinely engaged with his writing or just trying to make her sweat. She contemplated going for the offence, speaking first and getting it out there but then he looked up and fixed her with a pale stare of disapproval and she stayed silent.

Leo set his pen down at last. "C.J who told you Cadence was fine?" Leo was straight to the point.

"No one sir," C.J confessed.

"So why did you tell Danny Concannon that sources told you she was?" Leo's voice was quiet but full of scorn.

C.J filled with a shame akin to a child being told by their parents that they weren't angry but disappointed. Toby could yell and fluster but didn't quite have the knack of discipline over his staff that Leo did. C.J figured it was something that came from being a parent, imagining that parents had a master over certain ways of disciplining people so that it really stung.

"Leo I'm sorry, he caught me off guard and I didn't know how to answer.

"No comment!" Leo snapped as he let some of his anger seep into his blue stare. "What do you normally say when you don't have an answer for the press C.J? I'll look into it, I'll check with the White House, no comment at this present time," Leo rambled off statements used in the past. "You aren't new at this anymore, I expect better."

Even though Leo was sitting and C.J was standing she suddenly felt very small. "I am sorry," she said sincerely.

"And another thing, what was that quip about the Vice President? Let's not blow it out of proportion because he's the Vice President?" Leo repeated her words back to her.

C.J repressed an urge to frown. Her blue eyes were full of regret as she stared down at her superior. "Leo I only meant he was doing something we should expect of any decent human irregardless of their rank or position. Cadence took a turn in the heat, she fell, he went to help her, that's it surely. I don't think this is the story to blow up."

Leo frowned and his stare became serious. "The White House is quite happy to have this story be the focus," he said carefully.

C.J she looked back at Leo in confusion. "What? Why Leo? It's-"

"Fluff," Leo cut her off.

C.J folded her arms. "I was going to say insulting to Cadence."

Leo stood up from his desk suddenly with an angry look. "As insulting as articles calling her a terrorist or a traitor?!" he snapped. "A CIA agent, a Colombian rebel?!"

C.J's arms dropped by her sides as quickly as she raised them as she took a step back. "Leo I didn't..." She trailed off, unsure what she was supposed to say. "Did we leak this photograph?" she demanded.

"No, the Colombians had it in their press but we are taking advantage." Leo pointed at C.J crossly. "Now you're going to let it run its course without anymore comments that might suggest anyone in the White House has some hostility to it. It's fluff C.J not an overhaul of the voting system, let it go. Cadence has finally been vindicated and now with this piece the American public will lose interest in Colombia and we can finally have peace from it."

C.J nodded. "Alright Leo, I didn't know."

"No and you don't know how Cadence is so don't voice an opinion on that either," Leo snapped.

C.J nodded again. She was eager to leave the room and Leo's anger but at the same time she wanted to make amends and not leave on bad terms.

"Well, how is she Leo?" C.J pried.

"Never mind," he snapped.

C.J tensed again at the Chief of Staff's hostility. "Alright, well..."

"Go C.J, you're dismissed," he said flatly.

"Right."

C.J exited the room quickly, pacing past Margaret with barely a nod of farewell. She moved quickly, head bowed and one hand raised to her brow, steadying back the grief from her face. She felt shaken. It had been a long time since she had last made any mistakes in the press room. She dreaded what was coming next, undoubtedly fresh accusations from Toby about her being too close with the press, Danny in particular. Hell they'd even suggest it was because of her flirtations with him that he had been able to catch her off guard like that.

C.J cursed under her breath. It was always the women who got damned. No one remembered how often Cadence had bolstered John Hoynes up in the political world, how her quick thinking decisions had gotten him points, how her opening move had seen him and the President united in Texas, nope all they cared about was some cheap snapshot of him running to her rescue. Had she even needed rescued? She had already hit the ground and she had recovered.

C.J understood it. No one was going to bother admonishing Danny was prying too often into Cadence's welfare, they'd say he was doing his job but C.J wasn't doing hers. Never mind how she'd mastered the awkwardness of the press around Texas and Colombia and the C.I.A. Nope, that would all be forgotten for some dumb slip up this morning.

She took a deep breath as she reached her office and raised her hand up to the door.

"Hey C.J," Josh called to her.

She glanced over her left shoulder at him sharply letting him see the angry upset in her gaze.

Josh halted and gave her a nervous half-smile. "You saw Leo huh?" he quipped quietly.

"Yeah I saw Leo," she answered with a tired quietness as she sagged slightly against her door frame.

"Well we're going out tonight for drinks, me, Sam and Toby," Josh explained, "and you look like you could do with a drink, so how about it?"

C.J smiled as she lowered her hand from the door and turned to face Josh properly. "I'd like that a lot," she confessed.

Josh's smile appeared in full. "We all have bad days," he sympathised, "it will pass."

The Gray House was the tongue in cheek name of the classy bar Sam picked for their night out. Although it was an attempt to find Toby a date, that was a fact Toby had demanded Sam keep to himself. As far as Josh and C.J concerned, it was just one of those very rare nights out to let off some steam. Except Toby was reluctant to get on with the steam letting because all four of them were out and he was unwilling to believe the White House could function with them drinking, even though it was out of hours.

The evening should have started at nine but business had kept Sam and Josh working until ten. Now the worst of the evening's events had been put to bed as had the President who was in the residency. Leo was still at work but that was unsurprising, since Cadence's return he had been putting in long hours. Most of them had figured it was tying up loose ends around Colombia and making sure the whole incident was closed off now. Except it wasn't that easy because the C.I.A agents all presented loose ends. What was going to be done about them was anyone's guess.

Currently it was just after eleven and Sam and C.J were occupying the silver veined, white marble bar. The atmosphere was chilled, the music low and of a jazz vein and the bar calm with only a few people lingering at it.

"He called him sexy," Sam explained to the White House Press Secretary as he waited at the bar for his drink.

Sam had tired of keeping the information to himself, it was too funny and C.J had been probing him as to why he had randomly arranged an evening out tonight.

C.J looked confused at this. "Wait, Toby thinks the Vice President is sexy?"

Sam looked sheepish at this. "No!" he corrected with a hasty alarm. "I mean, well Andy said it, he repeated it, and asked me if I thought he was sexy."

C.J's expression turned incredulous as she leaned back slightly and raised her cocktail glass. After Leo's chewing out earlier it was much needed.

"And do you?" she queried with intrigue and a small grin.

"No, well not in that way," Sam grumbled as he dipped his head in a slight fluster.

Sam was glad that Josh remained at the table, certain the teasing he would admonish for this conversation would be relentless.

C.J's lip curled up in a teasing smile. "Well in what way then?" she pried.

She looked elegant as she lifted the glass to her lips without unsettling the silver wrap about her arms.

Sam glanced back up at her. "I mean, in that I can see that he is a distinguished man who might be appealing visually to some," Sam answered very carefully.

C.J spat out her drink in a spray of laughter. Suddenly her elegance was gone as she snorted in a bid to control her laughter and her other hand went up to hide her open mouthed smile, causing the wrap to slide down on one side to her elbow.

"Oh Sam, how democratic of you!" she sneered. "I needed this tonight, definitely." She reached over with her left hand to grip his shoulder lightly. "I'm not going to make accusations against your sexuality if you say you think he's attractive!" She released his shoulder and shook her head. "This is why people take offence at the simplest of things and become afraid to voice their opinions."

"Well, if we're being honest," Sam said with a slightly sullen look as he didn't appreciate the mockery, "what do you think of him? Visually."

"Visually," C.J mocked quietly as her laughter died down.

Sam's drink arrived and he accepted it gratefully.

She dipped her head back to her drink, using taking a deep sip of it as an obvious evasion tactic.

"I think he's attractive," she finally confessed. She wasn't quite able to keep the annoyance from her voice at her admittance.

Sam smiled at this. "Do you think Toby's right to think he can't compete with a man like that?"

"What?" C.J looked to Sam in disbelief and gave a wide smile as she shook her head. "Ridiculous. John Hoynes has his moments but he has a side to him too that's selfish and ruthless. Toby might be unhappy, neurotic and at times an angry, shouty man but he's still capable of caring for others over himself and I'm not sure if it came to it, if Hoynes would be willing to put someone's needs over his own if it meant he took a loss for it."

Sam stared at C.J in surprise, wondering where her opinion for the Vice President came from. "Okay. We should go back to the others."

"Yeah, I can't wait to ask Toby which Vice President he thinks is the sexiest," C.J joked as she strode on ahead.

Sam almost choked on a mouthful of beer at her statement. He hastened to keep up with her fast pacing whilst pleading with her half-heartedly not to let Toby know that he had told her.