TITLE: 'In the Hands of a Stranger' (3/8)
AUTHOR: Cindy ()
RATING: R
CHARACTERS: Toby and the gang
SUMMARY: The West Wing's past comes back to haunt them.
POV: Toby Ziegler and then the rest of the characters in 3rd view.
DISCLAIMER: The characters used from the West Wing do not belong to me; they are the property of Aaron Sorkin.
TIMEFRAME: After "I Used to Know Everything, Now I Know Nothing."
***5***
Josh was walking back from his office when he thought he could hear someone sobbing. He looked all around and didn't notice anyone crying, so he continued into his office and shut the door. The sobbing was becoming clearer now. Josh looked around quickly and still couldn't find anyone. He took a chance.
"Donna are you alright?" He waited for a response but didn't get one. He walked over to his desk and ducked under knowing that she was under there hiding. What he saw gave him a shock. He jumped back up and hit his head on the desk and cursed at the top of his lungs.
Applying pressure to the back of his head Josh leaned over and put his face against the coolness of the desk that Donna was still under. Finally a few minutes went by and the pain was subsiding enough for Josh to joke with Donna.
"You know if certain people come in here and see me like this and you down there- well I can guarantee they're going to get the wrong impression." He waited, there it was, the joyful sound of Donna's laugh.
"Do you want to talk Donna?" He asked her carefully.
"No," Donna sniveled.
"Okay. Um are you alright? Do you need anything?"
"I'm okay thanks. Josh?"
"Yeah," Josh said after releasing a slight moan from the pain he was feeling.
"Are you mad at me?"
Josh stood back up from the desk and took a few steps behind so that he could catch a glimpse of Donna without banging his head again. Squatting down he held his hand out for Donna and she nervously accepted. Once Josh had her back on her feet he took a good look at the woman who stood before him.
Her long blond hair that usually flowed across her shoulders was now matted with blood to her forehead. Her left eye was cut and bruised and quickly swelling which was going to match the right side of her lip that had swollen out a good three times more than usual.
Josh could feel his blood pressure rising along with his temper. For Donna's sake he tried to remain calm. The last thing he wanted to do to her was scare her more than she already was.
"Why would I be mad at you?" Josh asked her softly. He tried to tuck the few loose pieces of her hair behind her hair but stopped when he noticed her flinch. Josh knew that someone was going to be hurting twice as bad as Donna once he got his hands on him.
Donna didn't respond right away to Josh's question, instead she began to cry more. Josh pulled Donna into his arms and told her that it was okay, and that nobody was going to ever hurt her again.
"I'm so sorry Josh," she cried out.
"For what Donna? Tell me. Please?"
"I should have listened to you but I didn't," she babbled.
Josh grabbed Donna's face making sure not to touch any of her wounds. With her face in his hands and having her attention he reassured her, "I am not mad at you Donna. No matter what you tell me I will still not be mad at you. But I can't help you if you won't tell me what happened."
Still crying Donna said, "He was drinking and I bugged him and he told me not to but you know how I can be and-"
Josh knew very well how Donna could be and that was what attracted him to her. She could frustrate Josh in a matter of seconds but not enough to want to strike her.
"Who was it Donna?" She cried harder. "Donna, tell me who did this to you."
"Cliff," Donna said sobbing. Josh was ready to trip out he was so mad.
"Cliff?" he spat out, his anger rising in front of Donna. She didn't respond to him. She didn't want to get him even more upset if that was possible. All she wanted was to go home.
Josh looked back at Donna and asked her, "Do you trust me?" Donna only nodded her head, tears streaming her beaten face.
Josh picked up his phone and called Sam and asked him to come to his office right away. Sam arrived in less than five minutes and Josh wasted no time explaining his plan.
"I need you to take her for help and then stay with her. Don't let her out of your sight and don't let anyone get as much as an inch close to her. Got it?" Sam said he got it. Then he asked Josh, "Where are you going to go?"
To which Josh said, "I'm getting Toby."
"Josh, with the way Toby is feeling right now I don't think he's a good choice. He's likely to kill somebody."
Josh grabbed his coat and before he left his office he turned to Sam and said, "That's the point."
***CJ's office***
Carol came into her boss's office dreading the news she was about to give. CJ was reading a few pieces that she was to prepare for when she noticed Carol standing in her doorway, reluctant to come in.
"What is it Carol?"
"CJ, there's been another one." Carol waited for an outburst from CJ but instead CJ removed her glasses and lowered her head. From that position CJ asked, "From here?"
"I'm afraid so CJ."
"Oh God," CJ whispered, her head still lowered. She raised her head a few inches so that she could just see Carol and asked, "Who?" She really didn't want to know this. She didn't even want to be here. She felt extremely sick to her stomach.
"Nancy McNally," Carol said.
"Ahhhh, you've got to be fucking kidding me," CJ screamed out. Carol had only witnessed CJ swear a few times but she wasn't at all surprised when she did it this time.
"Where's Toby?" CJ said fighting to hold back her tears and remain strong.
"I don't, I don't know CJ. Do you want me to call Ginger?"
CJ was standing now, her back facing Carol as she looked out her window wondering what this sick bastard was up to and why? She couldn't believe that someone was striking members of the White House and so far nobody had been able to stop them or him or her.
Carol repeated her suggestion to call Ginger and CJ waved her off. Carol turned and left CJ's office. After all this time she knew when to back off. This was one of those times.
***Oval Office***
"What should we do Leo?" Jed Bartlet asked not only his chief of staff but his friend as well.
Leo was at a loss for words. The latest news of Nancy McNally's son was still stinging.
"Come on Leo, it's not like you to not have some kind of solution or something. Anything for Christ's sake." Jed Bartlet snapped. The strain was hitting him but he also knew that Leo was being affected as well.
"Three children are missing Sir and I haven't the slightest clue as to how to find them," Leo finally said.
"What has CJ been saying to the press?" Jed asked.
"Not much. We have been releasing the names of the children and giving what information we know like their clothes and whereabouts at the time. That's all we have."
Jed sighed and covered his face with his right hand. He didn't like how this was playing so far. He wanted those children back but like Leo, didn't know how to achieve it.
"What about a reward of some kind?" he suggested.
"That won't work Sir. As good as it sounds we'll get flooded with every wacko and that still won't help those children in the long run. Instead it will take away from them."
Jed knew Leo had a good point. He felt powerless and that was a taste that didn't sit well in his mouth. Being President you get used to the supremacy that came with it. Although he didn't know Scott the way he did Nancy and Ron he respected him as the White House counsel. Jed was proud of the work Scott had achieved in the short period of time that he had been with the administration.
"Leo, Ron puts his life on the line for me everytime I make a move. Do you know how it feels to know that at a time when he could use some help, I can't lift a finger for him? The man was shot in the hand but refused treatment until he knew I had been taken care of, and this is what he gets." Jed was yelling at Leo and Leo knew it was just his emotions and nothing personal towards him.
"Yes Sir I do. And Nancy makes a living making sure that every citizen in the United States is safe. She's the National Security Advisor for the White House but her title is useless to her right now, the same way yours is."
"The hell it is. I will make it my personal mission to make sure whoever is behind this won't be able to wipe their ass without it causing them pain for the rest of their miserable fucking lives. So help me God."
"I know you will Sir, and I will be right beside you to help," Leo offered.
"I want every tiny bit of information that anyone knows. From the janitor to you, in my hands within the next hour," Jed ordered.
"I'm right on it Mr. President." Leo left the oval office and once outside the door he stood for a few seconds with his eyes closed and mumbled, "Please God help us out a bit here."
***6***
The thought of a man hitting a woman had me enraged, but for it to be Donna on top of that made me irate. That was one thing I could not allow to go unpunished, a reason I assume to why Josh called me. We had been pacing around Capital Hill in search of Cliff but so far we didn't have any luck spotting him.
It was getting pretty late and I was about ready to tell Josh to call it in and search elsewhere when the Heaven's above shone down on a lone ranger crossing the way. It was Cliff and he spotted us right away. He stopped walking and watched slowly as Josh and I began to approach him. He knew why we were here.
"Hey what brings you two down here so late?" he asked us with a nervous tone in his voice.
"A friend did," Josh snapped out.
I stood by and listened as Cliff tried to make small talk until I had enough. I think I gave him two minutes before I moved in. I stepped up to the smug looking little prick and said, "I hear you like to dance?"
Cliff looked at me confused and then over at Josh, I think Josh gave him a look that explained what was going to happen. I say that because suddenly Cliff's face lost all colour and I thought he was going to faint on me. Cliff's hands shot up in the air as if he was being placed under arrest.
"Hey guys look, I don't want no trouble," he backed up a few paces. I hate when they make me move more than I want.
"You didn't answer my friend here, do you like to dance?" Josh asked him as he looked over his shoulder to see if any people were in view. I could care less if the cops were standing behind me, I was pumped and ready to go. I haven't been that way in ages, and it kind of felt good.
"Yeah I like to dance, who doesn't?" That was Cliff's answer.
"I enjoy dancing," I said. "But I can hold my own when I dance, can you hold your own?" Cliff wasn't letting the idea sink in fast enough. I think he figured I literally wanted some music to play so the two of us could tango. Well we could tango but there wasn't going to be any music.
"You danced with our friend last night and that was a stupid, stupid move on your part. So we're hear to dance with you man to man. The only way it should be." I said.
Cliff opened his mouth to say something but he didn't get the chance because I hit him in the mouth with my right fist. Cliff stumbled back. His nose began to bleed immediately. He put his hands up to his nose and then looked at me.
"I think you broke my fucking nose," he screamed out. I looked back at Josh and shrugged, turned back around and hit him again. I heard a 'pop' sound and again Cliff stumbled back. He had a harder time trying to regain his balance. Oh yeah, it felt nice to be back on the dance floor. It was a nice way to release stress.
I walked forward towards Cliff again and Josh was right beside me. Cliff was trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. He didn't see the connection my fist made with his jaw until it was too late. Cliff fell to the ground moaning and groaning. Josh stepped up and gave Cliff a boot to the stomach. Cliff rolled away and didn't even try to get back up.
"That's for Donna you son of a bitch. You ever put your fucking hands on her again and this will look like a puppet show compared to what will happen next." Josh kicked him one more time and shouted, "Do we have an understanding?"
It sounded like Cliff was crying as he yelled out yes over and over. Josh and I turned away to go back to the car and Cliff yelled out, "I'm sorry." He said it two or three times. "Too fucking late asshole," Josh said as he unlocked the car door.
I was waiting on the passenger side for him to get in and unlock me but he didn't budge from outside the driver's side. He just stood looking at me so I asked him, "What's wrong? Did you lose the keys?"
"You didn't let me hit him," Josh said at last.
"What?" I asked him in bafflement.
"You were supposed to have my back,"
"Josh, what the hell did you think I was doing?" I was stunned at where this was going.
"What I think is that you were beating the shit out of him. That's not watching someone's back."
"Josh, when the person you bring along with you knocks the fucker you want down- that's having your back." Was he shitting me with this?
Josh took this info into consideration and then said, "When did you get to be such a badass?" He smiled as he said that.
I smiled too and said, "I don't know. I guess I have a bit of unreleased anger in me," we both laughed at that one.
"Yeah well just inform me the next time you have a build up like that again. I'll be sure to stay clear of your vicinity." This man was one of my true friends.
"What's the fun in that?" I countered.
"Hey thanks, all joking aside. I appreciate what you did for me. Are you okay?" Now Josh was getting sincere on me.
I gave him a thumbs up and said, "Now open the fucking door I'm freezing my nuts off here." I wrapped my jacket closer to my body waiting for Josh who was getting into the car.