Cadence had known it would be difficult stepping into the prestigious State Dining Room, she had also known that all eyes would be upon her and her companion. Yet knowing and expecting all this did damn all to prepare her to deal with it. Of course she and Tom were last to arrive, meaning everyone else was already seated to look at them. Most had the advantage of working here and Cadence suspected they probably had simply changed at their work before heading for the dining room but she had still dared to hope that Mallory or Zoey might arrive after her.
Neither Tom nor Cadence was able to appreciate the beauty of the room, too fixated on the occupants staring up at them with curious eyes given an enhanced element of menace from the glow of the candelabras acting as centrepieces on the table.
"A white tux," C.J Cregg was the first to speak, "well...that's new," she concluded awkwardly with a smile to match.
"Certainly stands out," Toby grumbled to the table. Like every other male seated at the long mahogany table he was in a black dining suit.
"Well I figured I was standing out no matter what," Tom mused with a grin, "so no point in trying to blend in."
Josh smiled back at this, impressed with both Tom's response and his bold wardrobe choice.
The President, appropriately seated at the head of the table, stood up with a wide smile for Tom and Cadence.
"Good evening," he greeted brightly. "Now, let's get the introductions out of the way quickly. I'm the President of the United States, Jed Bartlet, in case you weren't aware," he jested. "This lovely woman to my left is, as some might say, my better half the First Lady Abigail Bartlet."
Cadence tensed at the introduction. She hadn't noticed Abbey until now and felt intimidated by her presence, immediately wondering if the First Lady was here as her mother's spy.
Tom glanced at Cadence curiously as he felt her grip on his hand tighten.
"Abbey, Jed," Abbey scorned quickly as she looked up at her husband with scorn, "tell the nice young man to call me Abbey." Abbey flashed a friendly smile to Tom and Cadence.
"He's not nice," Toby grumbled as he continued to frown at the table and pressed his hands into his temples. "You don't know he's nice."
Charlie shook his head disapprovingly at the man.
"He's not really young either," C.J murmured. "I mean Charlie and Zoey are young," she added hastily as she saw Mallory's look of annoyance. She gestured to the young couple with one hand to emphasise her point.
"He's young to me," Abbey said sternly, "and nice until proven otherwise."
Tom's lopsided grin was back but nervous this time as his pale blue eyes darted over his rapt audience. To him the only friendly face was Josh.
"Anyway, to my right, my daughter Zoey, rebellious and disobedient as all daughters are," Jed mused, "beside her is my aide Charlie Young, what he is to Zoey I shall not say for I would rather not confirm that yet."
"Dad!" Zoey protested as she raised a hand to her brow and shook her head into it.
Cadence gave a small smile at Zoey's display of embarrassment. She thought Zoey was looking radiant tonight and older than her seventeen years in a dark purple dress with short frilled sleeves and a modest square cut at the bust that had a sheer layer to subtly conceal it.
"Continuing on," Jed said as he ignored Zoey's complaint, "beside my radiant wife we have the less radiant Toby Ziegler our Communications Director. Beside Toby is his Deputy Sam Seaborne, opposite Sam is the beautiful Mallory, sometimes O'Brien, sometimes McGarry as the mood suits her."
Mallory shook her head chidingly at Jed even as she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She looked elegant tonight in a vibrant evening gown of emerald green.
"Beside Mallory," Jed continued the introductions, "is the also lovely Claudia Jean Cregg, our Press Secretary, better known as C.J, and rounding up our little party is Joshua Lyman opposite C.J," Jed concluded with a wave in Josh's direction. "I believe you've met him."
Jed gestured to Tom who was looking to the President obediently. "Now then, although we know it, let's be proper about this and have your name."
"Tom Landis," Tom answered quickly.
"Of?"
"Chesapeake."
"What's your district?" Jed queried with an encouraging smile.
"Fourth congressional sir, Virginia," Tom retorted calmly.
"You promised no politics sir," Mallory chided Jed as she gave him a disapproval stare.
Sam winced when Mallory's fiery stare fell upon him for the umpteenth time. Given they hadn't even had their starters yet, Sam was dreading how the rest of the evening would go. He gave Mallory a nervous, apologetic smile before reaching for his beer. It didn't matter how many apologies he had given or how sincere they had all been, Mallory's verbal tirade of anger had been relentless along with her firm promise that no matter how grand and glorious dinner was Sam would certainly not be getting an invite for coffee at Mallory's house after.
"Sir," Cadence interrupted sharply, "can we sit?"
Jed nodded and smiled back at the young woman. "Of course."
Cadence dismissed the smile and looked to the table instead as she led Tom towards it. Her dark indigo dress swished softly with each step. She had considered wearing a black dress instead, a defiant symbol of mourning for the late Agent Sparks but she didn't want to start her relationship with Tom in a spiteful show of angry grief for a complicated ex-lover.
"So Tom," Jed insisted on continuing the conversation despite Cadence's hostility and Mallory's objection, "we know you're a congressman but what's your background? College? Obviously not married but have you been?"
"Sir please!" Cadence protested angrily as her cheeks flushed slightly.
Tom let out a small chuckle. "I attended Baltimore University sir and majored in American History and Politics."
Josh looked intrigued at this and wondered if it explained Tom's vested interest in preserving the history of Richmond- the good, the bad and the ugly.
"And I haven't been married," Tom added as he released Cadence's hand to take a seat.
On the one hand the table presented an inviting scene- the room was warm and bright, sprigs of holly on the table surrounding the red candles added a subtle festive atmosphere and there was an odour of nutmeg and gingerbread in the air. On the other hand, almost every face at the table was turned to Tom offering him prying, curious stares and a suggestion of gleeful mischief in their features, the unspoken promise to humiliate him if he gave them even the slightest opportunity.
Tom purposely looked to one of the few faces that seemed slightly friendly and was glad it was the person he had to sit beside- Josh Lyman.
Josh gave Tom a welcoming smile as the congressman sat down. He determined that he would, unlike Toby, attempt friendliness tonight. He admired Tom for actually showing up and felt the man desired some pleasantries for that feat alone.
"How old are you anyway Tom?" Jed continued to pry.
"Jed let the poor man get a drink first," Abbey scolded him as she lifted her wine glass. "Your prying on behalf of Leo is as transparent as polished glass. Cady, we're having sparkling white dear, will you have the same?" she queried sweetly as she smiled down the table to the cringing woman.
"Yes, thank-you," Cadence retorted gratefully. She grimaced and gave Tom an apologetic glance.
"And what about Tom, Abbey?" Jed queried as he sat back down and gestured down the table with one hand, "aren't you going to ask him?" He smiled in Tom's direction. "Do you drink Tom? And if you do, how often? We're particular on that around here."
"Yes, whiskey's always good on a plane when in despair," Toby murmured darkly.
Josh gave Tom a sympathetic smile and held up his hand to block his face from view from the top end of the table. "Just say beer," he mouthed to his companion quietly, "we're all drinking it." He pointed with one finger to the pint at his table. "C.J wanted to drink from the bottle but Abbey's strict about that and persuaded her to wine, beer's fine for us though," Josh added with a grin.
Tom nodded nervously, aware of the silence hanging on the air with regards to the question. He leaned forward so that he and Jed could see each other better.
"I drink sometimes," Tom answered carefully. "Beer is fine, whatever everyone else is having."
Jed nodded. "Hmm vague and careful Tom, very good."
"For goodness sakes Jed, leave the man alone we haven't even had the starter yet," Abbey chided. "At this rate you'll have him scared off before the second course."
"Will he last that long?" Toby pondered sardonically in a low voice.
Charlie rolled his eyes as he gave a small smile, amused as he wondered if Toby was intentionally talking aloud or entirely unaware that he was voicing every negative thought he had.
"Second course?" Cadence echoed as she leaned over the table to spy out Abbey. "Um how many courses are there exactly?"
Abbey smiled back at her. "Well we didn't want to overwhelm the cook since it's just us few so we trimmed a few courses, we've settled for five."
Cadence looked confused. "Five? How is that less exactly?"
Zoey giggled when she noticed Charlie shared Cadence's bewilderment. She had initially been mad at the idea of dinner here but she had to concede that it wasn't often she got to dine with both her parents these days and the idea of meeting Cadence's secret boyfriend made the sacrifice of missing out on a more normal dinner worth it.
"I agree," Charlie piped up as he glanced over to Zoey, "five does seem like a lot."
Abbey waved off their concerns. "It won't be, they're not all the same size."
The waiter came and Abbey requested drinks for Cadence and Tom.
The starter arrived quickly after the drinks much to everyone's relief. Cadence glanced at Tom sympathetically for the second time as they were served up a fancy spread of prawns.
Tom hid his displeasure and tried to make an effort despite his distaste for seafood. He hoped if he ate enough of the salad and dressing he could be forgiven for leaving the bulk of the meat.
C.J glanced across to Tom and saw that his forkful contained only lettuce. "The meat is the best part of this, Tom," she insisted, "don't waste your time on the garnish," she scolded.
Tom winced slightly even as he forced another smile but he didn't respond, opting to chew pointedly on the lettuce instead.
Mallory leaned forward and turned a brilliant smile onto Tom, determined to talk him. "Tom, I'm Mallory, Cadence's older sister," she introduced.
Tom gave her a small smile in response as he glanced over to her. "Good evening Mallory," he retorted politely. "Cadence mentioned you to me, a very curious sister she said," he added teasingly.
Mallory gave a giggle at this."Hmm well she's gone out of her way to not mention you," she retorted mockingly as she gave Cadence a teasing look, sensing her sister's glower before she saw it. She turned her curious stare back to Tom. "So, how did you two meet and are you dating?" she pried.
Tom nodded as he grinned over at Cadence. His lopsided smile filled her with warmth and she smiled despite her annoyance at everyone's prying.
"We are dating and we met through Josh in a roundabout way," Tom explained.
Josh set down his cutlery suddenly with a loud clatter and turned his head up to the ceiling pointedly. "Please don't say that," he pleaded quietly.
"Wait, through Josh?" C.J honed in on that point as she stared tauntingly over at Josh. "Does Leo know that? And if he doesn't can I tell him?" She gave a gleeful smile at this.
Tom looked to Josh in confusion before giving another teasing smile. "I don't know what Mr. McGarry does or does not know about me," he confessed. "Josh would it help if I said I'm grateful to you?" he queried in a sympathetic manner. He flashed another smile over at Cadence. "Because I am."
"Oh that's so cute!" Mallory marvelled with a gleeful stare.
Sam snickered softly at this whilst Toby made a noise of revulsion before reaching out to his beer and taking a deep gulp.
"Leo won't find it cute," Jed murmured under his breath as he gave Abbey a glance out of the corner of his eye.
Abbey ignored her husband's look of scorn and reached tactfully for her wine glass.
"So," Jed interrupted the diners loudly, "where is everyone spending Christmas? Cady, I believe the Vice has you busy with all his appearances," he added almost in a sneer.
Cadence glanced up at the table to Jed unsure if he was making a jibe or a genuine observation. She nodded. "Yes sir, we have a few engagements booked leading up to the holidays. He'll be visiting his home town just before Christmas Eve to offer some support to their charity drive and to hang a decoration on the tree, it's good luck," she added hastily, aware of how cheesy it sounded.
"Hmm well I think it's a little late for that, he's flogging a dead horse going to Texas. He couldn't win it for the election when they were meant to like him," Jed grumbled. "Now the state's almost entirely Republican, one took John's seat in the senate, and I don't even know the name of the Democrat congressmen there they've done so little for us."
"It always was predominantly that way sir," Cadence retorted coolly.
"Yes but John did little to stave off the rise and after his encounters with Senator Whyte, well he'd be better hanging baubles on a different tree," Jed concluded sardonically as he felt his wife's disapproving gaze upon him.
Toby leaned down the table, seeking out Tom before he queried bluntly, "why do you think Texas supports the Republicans so strongly Tom? Is it the lax gun laws you all favour? You know," he sneered as he waved his hand around, "this whole you can shoot me so long as I as an individual have the right to bear arms so I can shoot you back, a grand demonstration of equality even as you push the right of the individual because then we're both in the morgue with bullet wounds instead of one of us."
Tom set his cutlery down calmly and stared down at his plate. "I do not support lax gun laws," he retorted sharply, surprising the others with his angry tone.
Toby shrugged. "My mistake," he retorted unapologetically, "it's just leaving poor people to die because you don't understand their welfare needs to come from taxes you claim are bad because you think there's a magic money tree to pay for everything," he sneered, his voice growing louder with each word.
"Toby," Josh groaned out his name as he pushed his hands up into his curls.
"We're having dinner, be nice," Sam pleaded as he gave his boss an encouraging smile, "I know you can Toby."
"You said no politics, sir," Mallory remarked angrily as she let Jed see her heated gaze.
"Right, right, I apologise," Jed said, although he didn't sound sincere. "Let's try a different topic, who are you spending Christmas with this year Tom?" he quipped with a smile. "Parents? Siblings?Aunts? Uncles? Cousins?"
Josh turned his slightly concerned stare on Tom when he heard the muted noise of liquid splashing. Hearing a second droplet hit onto porcelain, Josh looked down to Tom's plate where two crimson droplets stood out in stark contrast to the white plate edge they stained.
Josh stared down at the crimson stain with a glassy stare as he remembered staring down and seeing red just like it bloom from his chest. There had been confusion before the pain had flooded through him letting him know that the red was a warning sign of the danger he was in.
Cadence was staring over at Tom with guilt and worry but his head was bowed so she couldn't see the telltale stain of red yet.
"Tom?" Josh didn't know what to ask. When the congressman didn't move, Josh fumbled for his linen napkin and pushed it over to Tom. He wanted the red to be gone, he couldn't visit Roslyn again, not tonight.
Tom blinked as the napkin suddenly came into his vision as it was sloppily pushed half onto his plate.
"My parents and sister are deceased," Tom retorted in a forced calm, "I have a nephew but I don't see him much, he lives with his grandparents."
Tom snatched up the napkin, stood up quickly from the table and walked away wordlessly.
Cadence pushed back her chair and rose to hurry after him.
"Well done Jed, it only took you thirty minutes to humiliate and insult the poor man that's got to be a record," Abbey chided her husband sardonically.
"This is why dinner was meant to be private," Mallory said heatedly as she gave Sam another glower, blaming him as much as Toby and Jed for the predicament.
"You didn't help Toby," Sam scolded his superior, "he's here as Cadence's boyfriend not a Republican."
"Oh, did he leave his Republican jacket on the coat stand on his way in?" Toby snapped sarcastically as he glared back at Sam. "I wasn't aware we could take off our allegiances and forget them at dinner parties!" He smacked one hand down on the table for emphasis before suddenly remembering the company he was in. He held up a hand before he could be admonished. "I apologise, I do," he said as he stared over to the President and the First Lady.
"Apologise to him Toby," Jed said quietly as he pointed in the direction Tom had gone. Hearing the small 'hmm' Abbey gave that was the equivalent to an elbow nudge of scorn, Jed added quickly, "we both owe him an apology. I'll lead you follow."
"That is the first sensible thing you've said all evening," Abbey remarked sharply.
Jed rose from the table and walked in the direction Tom and Cadence had gone.
Realising from the glowers he was getting that it was an order, Toby stood reluctantly and followed after Jed.
"Well, are we done with the first course at least?" Abbey queried the others as she gave the table a wide smile.
C.J gestured out to Tom's plate. "Well Tom left some..." C.J trailed off as she realised it sounded like she was telling tales when really she was just concerned that Tom might have wanted his prawns. She noticed that most of the salad was gone and what remained he had attempted to push his prawns under. "What's the main course?" she quipped.
"Fish, why?" Abbey retorted.
"Is it too late to get that changed?" C.J queried as she looked back to Abbey.
"Why would we do that?" Abbey queried with a look of puzzlement.
C.J gave a small, awkward smile. "I don't think Congressman Landis er Tom likes seafood, at least he definitely doesn't like prawns, I mean maybe it's just shellfish," she added with a shrug, "but, well, did anyone ask him?"
"Oh for heaven's sakes!" Abbey exclaimed. She downed her wine glass before standing up and surveying the table with all the sternness of a general. "Alright people, we are only one course in and we are going to salvage this, Jed's hosting skills may have all the tact and appeal of a circus run by monkeys but my hosting skills are not going to be tarnished by his lack of-" She paused as Josh started snickering.
Abbey pressed her hands down on the table and narrowed her eyes slightly as Josh continued to chuckle. "Josh what is it?" she snapped impatiently.
"Nothing, I'm sorry," he glanced at her with a smile as his dark eyes sparkled with mirth, "I just think a circus run by monkeys would be something to see."
Sam was smiling too at the thought of a monkey run circus.
Abbey suppressed a sigh. "People we are going to make this dinner work," she insisted. "Now, will anyone object to chicken?"
There was silence.
"No? Good, I have some changes to insist upon in the kitchen."
Abbey walked away from the table briskly with an elegance C.J admired as she wondered if she would ever be able to convey such grace when in a hurry instead of appearing as a panicked giraffe. She always considered her job tough but knew the First Lady had it harder and yet somehow Abbey Bartlet always made it look effortless.
"I hope Tom comes back," Zoey piped up quietly. "He does seem nice, doesn't he?" She gazed over at Mallory for a response.
Mallory was silent, still caught up in trying to digest Tom's sad revelation about his family.
Josh wondered a little about it too although his manner was much more detached, perhaps because he could relate, his father and sister were both dead and he had spent a lot of time suppressing the grief and guilt over those losses. The side effect of this unhealthy suppression was a nervous energy as he ran about constantly anticipating and evading disaster acting as if he stopped for just a moment's breath someone close to him would die. To think of Tom's losses only invited Josh to think on his own and he was not going to do it, so he continued to smile at the thought of monkeys running a circus and pointedly avoided looking at the two blots of imperfect scarlet on the plate beside him.
"He'll come back," Sam said reassuringly. "I'm sure he would have expected something like this before he came." He gave Mallory a hopeful smile but she refused to look his way.
"It might have been a nice change to defy expectations," Charlie lamented softly. Feeling Zoey's disapproving gaze upon him he added stubbornly, "well it would have."
Tom realised he didn't know where he was going or where he wanted to go to just seconds after leaving the table. He figured a bathroom would do but he wasn't about to retreat to the table to ask the Democrats for directions. He headed through the door at the end of the room and escaped into a mercifully deserted hallway.
Hearing the door open almost immediately after his escape had Tom glancing back despairingly before he saw Cadence. He now had the napkin up to his nose and the weak smile he gave was lost behind its crimson stained creases.
"I'm sorry Tom," Cadence said sincerely as she stared at him apologetically.
"I'm the one who chose to wear white," he muttered as he pressed the handkerchief closer to his nostrils, acutely aware that it wasn't doing much good.
"We can go," she offered quickly, "that is, if you even want to go with me. I should have defended you better."
Tom stared at her in surprise. "One bad starter and you think I want to leave you, why is that?" he marvelled. "Cady I'm here to be with you, I already told you I don't care much where we are, the point is that we're together."
Cadence smiled at this. "Well we can certainly do better than a dinner where you're insulted with every question."
Cadence stepped forward and looked up at Tom curiously. "Can I help with that?" she offered. She reached up to the napkin.
Tom didn't expect there was much the young woman could do but he appreciated her effort so he surrendered the bloodstained cloth to her.
Cadence dabbed at Tom's nostrils gently, moving around them as she kept dabbing quickly. "Do you get nosebleeds often?" she pried.
"The odd time," he admitted, "they come and go."
Cadence tensed as she heard the door open behind her and glanced over her shoulder accusingly at the sound. Her heavy set frown remained as she saw the President emerge followed by a stubborn faced Toby.
"Coming to add some more insults to the injury?" she queried sarcastically.
"Now Cady there's no need," Jed chided her, "we are here to make amends."
Jed paused, hands behind his back momentarily as he drew himself upright and faced Tom with a stubborn calm to match Toby's, acutely aware that although he was somewhat in the wrong his desire to apologise came mostly from fear of Abbey rather than guilt.
"Tom I apologise," he said stiffly, "as a host not as the President, we don't need your Republican friends getting that impression," he added dryly.
Cadence sighed. "Sir do it right or not at all," she scorned. "Tom didn't bring up the politics, you two did."
Jed frowned at her. "You know you used to be sweet when you were younger, what happened?" he grumbled.
Cadence ignored him as Tom seized the napkin back from her and gave his nostrils a final rub with it before lowering it so he could face the President.
"Tom I am sorry," Jed offered a more sincere apology. "The truth is I haven't seen my girls for a while and I figured even it meant having a Republican in my midst for one night then it was worth it. Zoey is my daughter as you but Cadence and Mallory are like daughters to me too, I've known them since they were very young." Jed's serious blue stare darted from Tom to Cadence. "Cady you arrived mad at me, you intend to stay mad at me and so you'll leave mad at me," Jed murmured, "but I wanted to see you anyway, Abbey calls it guilt, I think it's more masochism but we'll agree to differ. Your father and I are both sorry but there are only so many ways to say it and you need to understand the blame for Agent Sparks' death is not entirely ours much as you want it to be."
Tom watched as a mixture of heated emotions crossed Cadence's face and her mouth twitched as it shifted through a variety of frowns and scowls. He reached out his free hand to her and gave hers a gentle squeeze.
"Sir," Tom addressed the President with a hopeful smile, "can we start again without the politics?"
Jed gave Tom a small, amused grin and nodded. His eyes widened suddenly as he looked past Tom to an approaching figure. "Oh lord," he murmured quietly. "Tom let's start again quickly with you and Cadence heading back into the dining room where Mr Ziegler can make his apology. That's right Toby," he added sharply without looking back to the man, "you still have to make good on yours."
Cadence and Tom both glanced behind them to follow Jed's mildly scornful stare.
Leo McGarry was walking up the corridor, at first casual, the sight of Cadence and Tom had made him move to a brisker pace.
"Leo whatever interruption you're about to fake to spy on Tom and Cady can wait," Jed addressed him sternly. "Cady, Tom," he lowered his voice as he spoke to them, "back to the dining room now, I'll hold him off."
A little puzzled by Jed's turn of phrase and not eager for any more confrontations, Tom obeyed, pulling Cadence with him despite her obvious desire to stay and yell at her father.
Toby shuffled back reluctantly to let the pair into the dining room.
Jed closed the door behind them banishing Leo from sight.
"Well Toby let's hear your attempt at faking an apology," Cadence addressed Toby coldly, making it clear that he wasn't of the hook.
The young woman tugged her hand free from Tom to fold her arms and looked at Toby expectantly with a frown and an unimpressed gaze.
Toby glanced from Cadence to Tom before conjuring a bitter smile to his face. "Alright, I'm sorry I brought up politics at the dinner table," he said, "that wasn't very...I don't know, very polite of me?" he offered with a shrug. "I'm not good at events like these even without Republicans," he added as he gave Tom another hostile stare. "It's not personal," he added pointedly, "I just think you might doom us all by being here."
Cadence sighed and pressed one hand up into her brow in frustration whilst Tom surprised them with a laugh.
"I only wish I had that kind of power at the table Mr. Ziegler," Tom mused with a shake of his head. "I'm in the House of Representatives, my seat's only assured for another year and I've yet to crack the Senate."
Toby gave a flicker of a half smile at this. "Right but powerful friends and all that," he murmured.
"Hmm well one or two," Tom admitted, "but all they'll hear from me is how I finally have a girlfriend and that will be of more interest to them than anything else."
"Wish I could believe that," Toby muttered quietly.
Tom's grin widened, creeping up the right side of his mouth as it often did. "Toby how would people react if you had a girlfriend?" he pried quietly with a hint of mockery.
"Hmm, I almost take your point," Toby retorted. "Alright, well temporary amends then until we face the political warfare again tomorrow?" he offered.
Tom held out a hand. "I think that's the best I'll get from you so I'll take it," he said.
Toby glanced down at Tom's hand distastefully before accepting it with an obvious reluctance, offering the briefest handshake he could manage.
Hearing Jed and Leo bellowing at each other, the three exchanged an awkward glance before Toby gestured back to the table.
The three retreated to the others, hopeful that the conversation had swayed to something more pleasant.
"Where's the President?" Sam pried with a curious look.
"Trying to stop dad spying," Cadence answered calmly as she took a seat.
"Oh." Sam stared at his plate. "Huh."
"Well you knew he'd try," Mallory murmured. "Yet another reason for dining elsewhere," she added pointedly with another glower at Sam.
"And there was me thinking saying no to the President would've been the worse thing to do," Sam retorted helplessly. He glanced up at Mallory with woe and gave a small smile. "I should have known it was worse to tell you to change plans."