TITLE: 'In the Hands of a Stranger' (7/8)
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."
***13***
I was suddenly beginning to feel optimistic and like I had a purpose again. Knowing that this person might well be a cop was something atleast for me to look into. It would keep me busy and that is what I needed right now.
"We need to go through this list and look for anyone in law enforcement," Josh advised us passing out various pages to CJ, Sam, myself and Donna. We didn't need to be told twice.
We decided on circling any names relating to what we were searching for and passing them to Donna to write down on the board that was on the wall. I had only come across a few but Sam was circling like a mad man.
It took less than fourteen minutes before we were all staring at a board full of names. Now all we had to do was go through them and separate them out. That was easier said than done.
Forty-six minutes was spent arguing over police officers, secret service agents and chief's of various positions. I was getting nervous that I had still not heard back from the creep who had my child. I decided that we should review the names of those we had narrowed it down to.
"Alright let's go over Officer Karlbindon again," CJ suggested. He was one of the officer's that was involved in a drug bust. He apparently had forgotten which side of the law he was supposed to be on and was later discharged. He fought to be heard but Leo had dismissed his attempts.
"I don't like him. He doesn't sound like someone who would steal children because he was caught actually breaking the law," Josh defined.
"You don't have to like him, you just have to believe he has the possibility of breaking the law," Sam told Josh.
"But these three have broken the law Sam. That's why their on this list," Josh smacked the paper in front of him.
"Guys we're not going to get anywhere if we fight amongst ourselves. Now let's just get on with this," Donna said.
"Okay, so he is into drugs, gets busted and then loses his job. I would say that's enough to piss him off and make him go a little mad," that was CJ's input.
"What about Officer Rhonda-? She threatened to bring down the administration because of Leo's alcoholism," Josh brought up.
"True," Sam remarked. "She was brought up on charges for not only drinking and driving but for being on the job at the time. She tried to use Leo as her scapegoat, which I still think was pretty ballsy if you ask me."
"Well we didn't," I mumbled.
"I'm sorry Toby do you have a problem with what I said?" I was asked by Sam.
"It's not her," was my response.
"You don't know that Toby."
"Do you know this woman Toby?" CJ interjected.
I didn't answer which made CJ pounce. "You do don't you? You know this woman. How?" All eyes were upon me as they waited for me.
"It's nothing. Just believe me when I say that it's not her."
"Tell me Toby," CJ persisted.
"Drop it CJ. It's not her," I snapped at my wife.
"Drop it? Our daughter is out there with some fucking looney and you want me to drop it? Fuck you Toby," CJ hollered at me. Sam winced at CJ's pain and tried to fix things.
"CJ, it's okay. We're all upset and we're tired and we say things when we feel this way."
"Do we keep secrets when we feel this way too Sam?" CJ was talking to Sam but looking my way.
"Rhonda was the woman who was in charge of my protection when I met with the protesters," I confessed.
"What protesters?" CJ inquired.
"Uh," I was trying to remember. "The World Trade Organization people."
"I remember that. You didn't want to go," Josh chimed in.
"Why not?" Sam asked getting involved with the interrogation of Toby.
"Why not?" I roared. "How about because there were mobs of angry fucking people Sam? That's why not."
"Wasn't she in to you?" Josh asked me.
"No," was my very fast reply. I looked at CJ waiting for a look of some kind but she wasn't even looking my way.
"Yes she was. You were both into each other if memory serves me."
"Your memory evidently sucks."
"She didn't by any chance carry a child of yours too did she?" Josh teased.
"Bite me Asscrumb," I directed to Josh.
"When was this?" Sam continued his line of questioning.
"God I don't know. It was about two years ago I guess."
"I remember that day too now that I think about it. Sam? It was the same time when I introduced you to my friend Stephanie Gault. Her grandfather was in prison for being a spy," Donna said taking Sam on a trip down memory lane.
"Blackwater," he whispered.
"Wasn't that the same time you found out your father had been sleeping around?" Josh asked.
"He wasn't sleeping around Josh. He just wasn't sleeping at home," Sam defended for his father.
"This is all great but it doesn't help us with what is currently taking place here," CJ commented.
"Well we've ruled out Officer Cutie-Pie," Josh said smiling. "That leaves us with Officer Jack Sloan. Who the hell is that?"
Everyone took some time to think the name through. It was me who recalled him first. "He's the guy who went on Capital Beat to clear his name."
"Huh?" was the majority reaction in the room.
"He was invited to demonstrate heroic police behaviour because of an incident at some elementary school."
"Yeah and?" Josh encouraged.
"And while this was to take place it became known that apparently 17 years before there was a grand jury investigation. He was accused of chasing a kid but the kid was badly injured."
"He beat up the boy?" Donna asked in dismay.
"No. It turned out the boy's leg was already broken when Sloan caught up with him. He was found innocent but it still became public knowledge. That screwed any chance he had once it came out."
"17 years ago? Capital Beat wasn't on then." Sam volunteered.
"Thanks Sam I always wondered about that. He went on Capital Beat to clear his name two years ago. To tell everybody who would listen about what had actually occurred.
"Did you say Sloan?" Donna asked.
"Yeah why?" Josh asked Donna turning so that he could face her.
"Leo. Leo gave you that notebook of stuff from that reporter. Wasn't his name Sloan too?"
Josh slapped his hands together, "You're right Donna. God I love you," he grabbed the book not realizing what he had said. Donna however heard him. So did the rest of us.
Sam gave me a smile, office romance part two. Hopefully he would be kissing Amy goodbye!
Josh flipped through the book and then said, "Why am I looking through a notebook of notes taken by a reporter when it's notes ON the reporter that I am interested in?" Nobody could answer that for him.
"Stay here. I'll be right back. I will go and see what I can find on the internet," Sam ordered.
"Where were we going to go, the place is shut down?" CJ noted.
"Ah I have my laptop here," Josh said bending down and grabbing his suitcase.
***14***
I told Sam to hook the laptop up so that I could talk to Josh. CJ and I got him into a corner. "Josh, you just told Donna you loved her."
"No I didn't," he denied with a pffft of attitude.
"Yes you did," I argued.
"Na ah."
"Josh I heard you say you loved her. Didn't he say he loved her?" I directed at my gorgeous wife who was looking at the two of us. Sort of the way one does at a tennis match…back and forth…..back and forth. If she was to give birth right now our baby would be dizzy.
"He did infact say he loved her," CJ confirmed smiling at Josh.
"I think I would have known if I said something big like that?" Josh quipped.
"Yeah and you would have thought you'd know that one doesn't yell out that the Washington Capitals suck in an arena full of hockey fans," I reminded him.
"Shit, I almost forgot about that. We nearly got our heads torn off for that one."
"We? There was no we Josh. It was you and your big bloody mouth."
"Well I wasn't lying. They did suck. The goalie let in three goals during the first period. He had his legs spread wider than Madonna on a good day."
CJ slapped Josh across the arm. "Ow, what was that for?"
"I like Madonna," CJ snapped at Josh. Josh rubbed his arm where CJ had just slapped him.
"Does Amy know about your feelings for Donna?" I asked him.
"Do you think if Amy knew about the feelings I had for Donna I would still be here breathing?" A valid point.
"Well I think she needs to know," CJ advised.
"Definitely," I agreed nodding.
"She has a right," CJ pointed out.
"Okay? Which one are we talking about now?" Josh asked confused.
CJ slapped him again. "Okay that one really hurt," Josh whined.
"Then pay attention Josh," she whispered to him.
"I can't. I can't afford to," he said trying to be funny.
"Don't use big words you can't spell honey," CJ said and walked away. She was far from impressed.
Josh looked at me for help. "Don't look at me. I can spell whatever she demands of me."
Sam called out my name and I went over to where he was sitting reading the laptop. "The reporter guy that you mentioned," he looked up at Donna. "Well he just so happens to be Officer Jack Sloan's son."
"Holy shit," Josh said. My stomach began doing flip flops. "Donna call Leo and get the police over to Sloan's house now."
We began to pile out of the room. CJ asked, "Where are you guys going?"
Josh looked at me and said, "We're going to dance."
***15***
"So what's the plan?" Sam asked as we were heading down to where Jack Sloan lived.
"We don't have one yet," I informed him.
"Sure we do," Josh said. "I like to call it beat the shit out the guy and ask questions later."
"I see why we don't have one yet," Sam commented.
"You know one of us is going to slug the guy so why not just do it first? This way you get it out of your system and we can move along."
"Josh we're not going to hit him first," I scolded.
"We're not?"
"No, we're going to find out where Piper and the other children are. Then we're going to kick the crap out of him."
"Now you're talking," Josh was laughing.
"I think it's just up here," Sam directed to Josh with his fingers. The adrenaline started pumping. This was it. I was going in there and no matter what I was retrieving my daughter. This prick was going down.
Josh came to a stop and the three of us climbed out of the car. "Do we just go up and knock?" Sam asked.
"Sure," Josh said leading the way. "Why the hell not?" Sam and I continued after Josh and when we got the front door Josh banged on it. We waited for some kind of movement but we didn't see any. Sam and I went around back to look for another way in. There wasn't one. Atleast not a legal one.
A car pulled up and we couldn't see who it was because of their lights. We heard the voice though, "Josh, Sam, Toby? Is that you guys?" It was Leo.
"Leo?" Sam called out. Josh and I were trying to cover our eyes to see beyond the light.
"What the hell is Leo doing here?" Josh asked me as I came from around the corner.
"I tried calling you guys. Donna told me where you were going."
"What you're our backup?" Josh asked somewhat disappointed.
"Backup? For what?"
"Leo we think this is the guy," Sam filled Leo in on what we had learned. Leo was shaking his head.
"Sam this isn't the guy. I'm sorry Toby I really am."
"How do you know this Leo?" What did he know that we didn't?
"Jack Sloan died five months ago. His son and daughter own the house but they don't use it but don't have the heart to sell it either."
"He's dead?" Sam repeated.
"He died in a car accident with his wife. Killed by a drunk driver. Used to be a cop too, if you can believe that?"
Josh and Sam looked at me. Officer Sachs was on their minds. Mine as well. I mean what a coincidence we should be talking about her not longer than an hour ago. If indeed it was her that was involved.
My knees began to buckle and I fell onto the ground. I felt so close to finding her. Now I was back at the beginning. Sam and Josh came over to give me comfort and what strength they had left. Leo's phone began to ring and he answered it. We couldn't really hear what he was saying as he moved towards his car.
"We're going to find her Toby and she is going to be okay," Sam told me with confidence.
"Yeah we'll find her and she'll be her sassy little self," Josh pitched in. Sassy, that was what I had warned her about being today. Please God I will let her be sassy for the rest of her life if you will just bring her back to me.
"We found her," Leo said jogging straight towards us. My heart felt like it jumped into my throat. I wasn't sure if I could take another false hope.
"What? Where? How? Who?" Important questions all thrown at Leo who was so giddy with joy you would have thought he had been hitting the bottle.
"I don't know, I don't know. That was Abbey. Piper is with CJ and the President right now and she is safe and she's back man," Leo leaned in and grabbed me into his arms.
Josh and Sam grabbed each other and started to jump up and down in excitement. It was over. She was alive and well. We took time out from our display of affection and piled back into the two cars. Josh was speeding down the road and Sam had his head out the window pretending to be a siren.
We couldn't get there fast enough for my liking but we finally arrived back at the White House. Before Josh even stopped the car I was already out and booking it as fast as I could to the oval office where my family was. I came in through the side doors and the secret service agents eagerly stepped aside.
I could see her wrapped up in a blanket and on CJ's lap. CJ was still crying and was holding her very close. When Piper saw me CJ let her go and Piper ran to me. Tears were already flowing down my eyes before Piper even reached my arms.
I picked her up and squeezed her tight and cried into her hair. I held her out and searched her body for any signs of foul play but she was physically okay. I brought her close to me again and took a deep breath of her smell and told her how much I loved her and that I missed her.
"Did he hurt you Piper?" I asked still crying and terrified of what she might tell me.
"No Daddy he let me play with lots of toys. It was fun. I missed you and mommy though. Where did you go?"
"I was looking all over for you sweetie," I continued kissing her.
"I want down Daddy," she whined.
"I don't want to let you just yet Piper," I told her softly.
"Toby, she's fine. Let her go, she's safe here," The President announced to me.
Looking at Piper eye to eye I told her, "I will never let you out of my sight I promise you," Tomorrow I was buying a leash.
Piper took my hand and we walked further into the room. CJ stood up and I went to her and embraced and kissed her. "She's back and she's alright Toby," CJ cried into my shoulder. I caressed her hair. My family was back together.
Josh and Sam were standing off to the side watching but finally they spoke up. Josh went to Piper and gave her a hug and a few dozen kisses. "You had us scared honey. I am so glad to see you."
"You are?" Piper said astonished and probably confused at all the attention.
"Of course I am. You are my favourite person in the whole wide world," he told her.
"Mine too," Sam said bending down to her level.
"You guys are my favourite person too," she told them giving them a group hug. CJ started crying harder, but I think these were tears of joy.
"How did you find her?" I asked Bartlet.
"I didn't. Piper found us."
"What?" I asked dazed at his response.
"She called the White House and asked for her Daddy. She told them his name was Toby Ziegler. The operator said she thought it was a joke at first so she asked her what her name was and who her mother was. Once Piper gave her the right answers she patched her through to me."
"But how?" Sam asked joining in on the exchange between Bartlet and I.
Jed shrugged, "Apparently her father taught her how to use a phone. First chance she got to a phone she called us. His perception of a three-year old apparently isn't very good."
"Who's?" Pretty much everyone said with baited breath.
"I was waiting until you got here to reveal who was behind this and why," Bartlet explained.
I held my breath as I waited for him to divulge who it was that had hurt so many people.