Chapter 7:

"Good afternoon Mr. President, CJ, Leo" Toby said as he Sam and Josh entered the oval office to see an already seated CJ, Leo and the president.

"Thanks for coming guys," Bartlet said as he motioned for them to come and take a seat on the couch next top him or on the opposite couch next to CJ, "Have a seat"

As Bartlet began to talk, Josh noticed that his customary seat next to Leo had been left empty and that he had opted to sit on the couch directly across from CJ, a decision that Josh silently supported in an attempt to keep from intimidating CJ in this already awkward situation.

"So," Jed Bartlet began as he immediately cut to the heart of the issue, "CJ, Leo and I have been talking about the best solution to this problem for a while now, but CJ thought, and she was absolutely right in thinking so, that we should consult you all before we make any final decisions."

Josh nodded his head in accent as Toby and Sam exchanged confused looks. Without noticing their confusion, Bartlet continued at full pace, "Leo feels that it has become necessary to ask for Claudia Jean's impending resignation and the idea certainly has benefits,"

Toby tried to interrupt at this point if only out of sheer certainty that he had heard the last statement incorrectly, but unable to amidst Jed's stream of dialogue.

"Abbey on the other hand, for reason's beyond the understanding given the current situation, has made it clear that she is vehemently opposed to such an idea. CJ and I both can see the benefits to resignation as well as the hindrances, so that is where your opinions come in."

Pausing for the first time in his speech, the president looked over at Josh and asked, "How do you feel about the situation Josh?" "Well sir," Josh began cautiously, "I can certainly see the political benefits of such an outcome,"

"But?" Jed asked as he picked up on Josh's unspoken hesitation, "But" Josh continued with emphasis, "I will stand by CJ through this entire thing even if it means that I have to lose my job too. And not just because she is an amazing Press Secretary, but also because she is my friend, and frankly sir, with due respect" by this point Josh was glaring daggers at his Commander in Chief, "this is in no way CJ's fault alone and I feel that she shouldn't be the one to take all the blame for something that is also your responsibility!"

"Josh!" CJ snapped at exactly the same time Leo yelled, "That's enough!" "No, no guys" Bartlet said without any anger, "Josh has every right to feel the way that he does, that's why we asked him to come in here in the first place, to get his opinion."

"Alright" Sam said as he stood up and looked around the room, "I've to tried to stay quiet and listen, but I can't take this much longer…What is going on?" "Yeah," Toby said as he stood up to join in, "Why are we talking about CJ resigning? And what are Josh and Leo arguing about?"

Ignoring Toby and Sam and instead looking at CJ, Bartlet asked in his kind and disbelieving voice, "You didn't tell them?"

Shrugging CJ said, "I told Josh and I figured that he would've told them by now." "That's not very fair CJ" Josh said as he too continued to ignore the standing Sam and Toby, "I may not be able to keep most secrets very long, but what you told me you said in confidence, and I wasn't about to say anything unless you said I should."

"That's very sweet Joshua" CJ said with a little laugh at just how chivalrous he was trying to be. "What are you talking about!" Toby demanded as he looked like he might stroke out any minute.

"Why don't you both sit down" Bartlet said as he motioned towards the couch and then looked at CJ, "Do you want to be the one to tell them?" "No thank you sir" CJ said as she shook her head a little, "I've had my fair share of telling that story and I don't feel like doing it again."

"Alright then," Jed said as he adjusted his position on the sofa to better face Toby and Sam, "Do you guys remember the party we had after the election a couple of nights ago?"

"Of course," Sam said with a laugh, "I had a little to much to drink, I think we all did." "You can say that again," CJ muttered under her breath as Toby turned to give her a questioning look.

"Well anyway," Bartlet continued hastily, "After you left for the evening, Leo, CJ, Charlie, Ron and I began to walk out to the car. Leo left to go home and I dismissed Charlie for the rest of the night. CJ was stumbling around a little," CJ blushed a little and looked at the floor as Sam and Toby both looked her way, "and Ron suggested that we ought to give her a ride home so that she wouldn't kill herself driving."

"A smart idea," Toby said sensibly as he looked back over at the president. "Not so much as it turns out" Jed said with shake of his head, "What do you mean?" Sam asked in a confused voice, "Well our offering Claudia Jean a ride home resulted in somewhat of an incident."

Looking the president directly in the eye Toby asked suspiciously, "What do you mean by 'incident' sir?" "Well...you see...what happened…" Bartlet fumbled as Leo exclaimed, "Oh for goodness sakes" "What I'm trying to say is, what I really mean…"

"They slept together!" Josh blurted out as the president's rambling became to much for him to deal with. After a stunned silence in which you could have heard a pin drop, Sam asked stupidly, "By they you mean…"

"The president and the queen of England!" Toby yelled in order to let out some of his new found frustration, "Who do you think he means Sam?"

"I…I…" Sam started before he finally fell quite and looked down at the floor. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, Toby went back into political mode and said, "So we're talking about CJ resigning as a form of damage control?"

"Yes" Leo said with a curt nod, "It may be the best way to salvage the administration" CJ said looking up for the first time since the truth was admitted. Scared to look into Toby's eyes, CJ cautiously forced herself to look at him.

Looking her in the eyes for a mere second, Toby diverted his gaze and said, mostly out of the hurt that he was feeling, "I think that CJ may be right." "What!" Josh practically yelled, "Toby, you can't be serious, Sam help me out here."

Having been addressed, Sam looked over at the president and said, "What I would like to know, given the…situation, is why the First Lady feels that CJ shouldn't resign."

"That's a damn good question which I cannot fathom the answer to." Bartlet said as he looked at Sam, "It's because of the image." CJ whispered as she once again began to study her shoes.

"What?" Leo asked, not entirely sure that he had heard her correctly, "It's because of the image Leo" CJ said as she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"What image?" Jed and Sam asked at almost the same time. "You didn't tell him about the image?" CJ asked in confusion, she had simply assumed that the President knew before Leo brought it to her.

"I was waiting for the right time to bring it up" Leo said choosing his words cautiously, "But you told the First Lady?" CJ prodded, "A decision which I am regretting more with each moment" Leo said as rubbed his temples.

"What does the First Lady know that I don't?" the President asked in a no-nonsense tone. Seeing the danger in the direction that the situation was headed, CJ's Press Secretary instincts took over and she began damage control, "Well sir, you see…My resignation wouldn't do you much good if you were not in some way able to benefit from it."

"Right" Jed said as he looked CJ directly in the eyes and she began to wonder if she could state her, well actually Leo's, argument without breaking down.

"So sir" Leo said as he stepped in for fear of how CJ might describe the idea, "We decided that the best way for you to benefit would be for us to create a public image surrounding CJ's departure."

"Is that true CJ?" Jed asked as he looked over at her and she was unable to meet his gaze, "Is what Leo is saying the right thing to do?" "Yes sir" CJ said quietly and against all her feelings. "That didn't sound very enthusiastic Claudia Jean, why don't you agree with Leo? Why doesn't Abbey agree?"

"I never said I didn't agree…" CJ began before the President cut her off and said, "Yes but you've worked for me long enough that I know when you are doing something for the administration that you disagree with, so why don't you agree?"

"Sir it really is our best option," Leo started as Josh cut him off and shouted, "He's making her out to be a gold-digging hoar! Of course Abbey doesn't agree, I don't agree and the only reason CJ is even trying to agree is because she thinks that by sacrificing her dignity to the wolves it will solve all your problems, but it won't! And even if it would, I don't know that it is a sacrifice she should have to make."

"Leo" Bartlet began in a dangerous tone, "What do you have to say about what Josh just told me?" "Well sir" Leo said as he feebly tried to defend his argument, "The image that we are going to create is that you were a drunk, lonely man who missed his wife."

"Well that's certainly true" the President said as he then continued, "And CJ?"

"Well, I believe that the exact wording we're planning to use is that CJ was in a state of almost complete sobriety and that she used her position and charm as a beautiful young woman to seduce you so as to gain influence over the most powerful man in the…"

"I don't believe you Leo!" Jed shouted indignantly as stood up, "You want to paint my Press Secretary as a manipulative, power-searching, slut in order to possibly, not even for certain, but possibly save my ass. Why don't we just hang a scarlet letter on a sign around her neck and make her walk across the National Mall naked!"

"Sir, I really think" Leo began as the President sat back onto the sofa and said in a quiet and dangerous voice, "This meeting is done, we can talk more about the subject tomorrow."

"Sir," CJ said in a quiet voice as everyone began to file out of the room, "Josh thinks that we should start looking to see if we can find anyone who saw or heard anything in order to head off a story before it start, and I think that's he's right."

"Sure, whatever." Bartlet said with a sigh, "How could you agree with him CJ?" "It never felt right to me sir," CJ said with a sigh of her own, "But I was simply trying to spin the story to help you, that's my job. And it wouldn't be the first time that you wanted me to spin something in a way that I disagreed with."

"You thought that I agreed with Leo," "I thought you knew, Yes sir." CJ said as she turned to leave, "I would never agree to demean you like that CJ" Jed said as she was walking away, "If we have to fight some king of a story, so be it, but trying to cover our asses by throwing one of our own to the wolves is beneath this administration. It is the kind of politics that I swore I would never touch, and I meant it Claudia Jean."

"Thank you sir," CJ said quietly as she turned around and headed out the door.

Seeing her leave, Jed closed his eyes and tried to remember when his world had become about surrounded in lies and deceit just like all the ordinary politicians he promised he wouldn't become. Sitting in his chair, Jed decided that he needed to go and try to talk to Abbey as soon as possible, if only to apologize for supporting Leo's idea unknowingly.