"Oh my god that was close." Josh sighed.

Having been noticed by Toby, Donna quickly pulled out of her parking spot and down the street to avoid a confrontation.

"We're busted." Sam moaned.

"Only if they say something to us," Donna contested. She, despite the new circumstances, was not disheartened about being caught spying yet.

"They will." Josh told her.

"They might not," she argued back. "They don't know how long we were there or what we saw."

"So you're saying they might not mention it at all?" Sam asked her curiously.

"If they think there's a chance we haven't figured it out, then they won't say a word," Donna explained, hoping that wouldn't be the case.

"How will we find out?" Josh spoke up.

"We wait and see my friends, we will wait and see."

"What? What's wrong?" CJ asked of Toby.

Suddenly, a car pulling away was heard and she followed his eye-line.

"Get inside," he muttered distractedly.

"I'm so sorry about all this." She declared to Mark, who was still standing helplessly.

"I understand. Again, nice meeting you." He smiled weakly and walked back off to his car to leave.

Toby ushered CJ inside and she collapsed on the couch while he sat on the small armchair by the window, watching her.

"Well that was embarrassing." She groaned, a hand on her forehead, "You couldn't have come home later?"

"CJ: Donna, Josh and Sam were in that car," he told her.

"What?"

"The car that drove off, it was Donna's." he repeated.

CJ sat up and looked at him, "It was?"

"Yeah."

"What were they doing here?" she wondered.

"I have no idea. I think they're onto us though."

"What, about us?" she queried hesitantly.

Toby nodded, "They seem like they know something. I've never seen Josh flail so much in one evening."

"Oh my god. How?" CJ said as she hugged her knees to her chest, becoming more comfortable.

"I don't know. Donna kept asking me what I thought of you being out with Mark and Sam and Josh were about as subtle as you around a pool."

She shot him a glare at his jest, "Really?"

"Really." He confirmed and moved to join her on the couch.

"I think you're being paranoid." She told him.

Toby pulled her legs onto his lap, "I'm not."

"They know nothing."

"We don't know that."

"We aren't intimate in the office, Toby." She pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," He replied, "I suppose there could've been signs."

"We flirt but we've always flirted, they've never seemed to make anything of it before. But if we continue like nothing happened and they weren't there, then it isn't a thing."

"So when they ask you how it went with Mark and mention seeing you embracing me immediately after, at your house, then what?"

"I'll spin it." She remarked.

"You may be the best Press Secretary the White House has ever seen, but I doubt even you could spin this," Toby said gently.

CJ smiled to herself at his casual compliment, "I could whip out the old 'the White House doesn't comment on the personal lives of their staffers.'"

"Where would that get you with them though?"

"Nowhere." She mumbled.

"Exactly." He half-chuckled.

On Sunday, Josh called Donna into the office to work.

"Joshua, I had plans today. I was going to clean my house and bake a cake for Carol's birthday." She moaned as she first walked into his office.

"Just buy her a cake like a normal person," Josh shrugged and got up, "But I didn't make you come here to work."

"Then why the hell am I here?" she asked as they began to power-walk through the West Wing.

"Operation Exploit CJ and Toby," he grinned.

"Well what on earth were we doing before?" She muttered sarcastically.

"Donnatella, we are very close to getting these two to crack and we need to something to make it happen." Josh explained.

"How? Why don't we just wait until tomorrow?" Donna had to admit that she was stumped regarding what to do with the pair next despite much thinking the night before.

"Sammy's on his way over here, I'm sure the three of us can conjure up some tricks before the day is done."

"You plan to be here all day?" She quizzed.

"However long it takes." Josh smiled.

Toby wandered through the lobby of the White House with a coffee in hand. He had decided to come in to do some work.

"Hey, Toby!" Sam called out from behind.

"Oh hey, Sam." Toby muttered back.

"What are you working on?" He wondered, even though he knew Toby was one to come in many a Sunday to work aimlessly.

"Finalising G8 drafts," he sighed as they approached the bullpen, "I've got a couple you can work on."

"Sure." Sam nodded, "I just need to go see Josh."

"He's in?" Toby questioned.

"Yeah, Donna too." Sam said innocently, wondering if Toby was paranoid in any way.

"Alright," Toby mumbled, sitting down at his desk; internally he was curious as to why Sam thought he could play him.

Sam went to Josh's office where he found Josh and Donna.

"Toby's in," he told them.

"CJ?" Josh wondered.

"Not as far as I'm aware."

"You didn't tell him you were coming here did you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Raising suspicion!" Josh said, exasperated.

"Calm down, Josh." Donna muttered.

"He's not going to suspect anything," Sam added in agreement, "We're here almost every Sunday."

"You're right," Josh accepted, "So what do you think we should do?"

"Well tomorrow, we just ask CJ how her date went. Simple?" Sam suggested, and Donna had to admit she hadn't even thought about taking the expected, casual approach among all the commotion.

"Yes," Josh nodded, "Good. What else?"

"I'll ask her if she's going to see him again." Sam told the pair.

"She'll say no, they didn't hit it off well enough or he wasn't her type." Donna added.

"What if she says she's going to see him again? Like Toby's told her to say so?" Josh spoke up.

"He won't have told her so." Sam mentioned.

"Sam, they're going to keep whatever they can under wraps, so if it means keeping their relationship a secret, then she may go out with him once more." Donna contested.

"Fine," he admitted defeat. "What happens if that happens?"

"Then we ask Mark if she's telling the truth." Josh said.

"And if she is?" Donna wondered.

He looked across from her carefully, "We'll have to go to new lengths, but I think that's extreme. One date was enough."

"I hope so…" she replied. "We still need elaborate details though, as much as she'll give."

"Ooh can we please do this in front of Toby?" Sam piped up.

"God, yes." Donna smiled.

Sam didn't head back into Toby's office when they were done to find the drafts he wanted him to finalise, so Toby headed towards Josh's and heard the remnants of conversation between the occupants.

He went back to his office unnoticed and dialled his home number, expectantly waiting for CJ to pick up before relating what he had heard.

"Toby, calm down. I bet you're just being paranoid." CJ held the phone to her ear, listening as Toby ranted to her.

"I'm telling you, Ceej. Donna and Sam were talking about how happy we seem." Toby told her, his voice full of frustration, and she was sure he could hear him bouncing his rubber ball in the background, "And especially after last night, they do know something."

"They won't know anything, yes it was a bit of a giveaway but come on, it's just office gossip." she assured him.

They'd been together for a year now and somehow they'd kept their relationship under wraps the whole time. Only once a few months back had Carol almost caught them making out in her office and they'd been careful not to rouse suspicion ever since. That was until now, but CJ wasn't convinced that they'd been figured out.

"If Sam's got anything to do with it, he's going to start being on my case, and you know I don't like Sam being on my case." he muttered in irritation.

She could almost hear his pout and resisted the urge to chuckle down the phone, "I know, I know."

"Do I hear you laughing at me?" he questioned and she involuntarily rolled her eyes.

"Of course not, Pokey. Look, it's cute that you want to preserve our secrecy but a year, do you really think anyone else around here could last a year in a

relationship and keep it a secret?"

"No, but-" he sighed.

"But what?" she pried, sensing his tone.

"It's nothing, okay? I'm coming back soon should I pick up some lunch?"

"I've made pasta." She told him.

"Oh, nice. See you soon."

The next day, Monday morning, saw the inevitable confrontation take place not long after Senior Staff when all staffers had remained quiet about Saturday night's occurrences.

"So CJ, let's have it. How was your date?" Sam asked as they, along with Josh and Donna, assembled in the bullpen right outside of Toby's open office door.

"It was good, he was really nice." CJ commented smoothly, nervously brushing her fingers to hide the hickey gained the night before during her affirmation of love to Toby.

"Yeah?" Donna asked with excitement, "Are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know," she pondered, "I don't think he was overly interested."

They suddenly realised they hadn't considered her spinning that angle, "No way?" Josh asked in feigned sympathy.

"I don't know, I just didn't get a vibe," she shrugged and walked into Toby's office, the trio following behind.

"How do so many people fit in my office?" Toby grumbled, barely looking up.

"It's G8 prep time, Tobus, lighten up," CJ grinned as everyone took seats, Donna too.

"Hey we weren't done talking about your date," Sam whined and Toby frowned.

"Look, there's nothing to talk about? It was a lovely date but there wasn't really anything there." CJ announced. Donna made sure to watch Toby's expression, but he was merely watching CJ intently from behind his desk.

"So what's that on your neck?" Toby asked curiously, to which the others instantly wheeled round to gaze at her covering herself self-consciously.

"What are you talking about?" she asked through gritted teeth, not expecting him to put her on the spot at all.

"CJ's got a hickey!" Josh sang as the mark became clear and Donna and Sam exchanged beams while CJ tried to rearrange her hair.

"I have not got a hickey." She defended, crossing her arms over herself.

"The date went well after all," Donna giggled uncharacteristically and Josh nodded in enthusiasm, a large smile on his face.

"Putting out on a first date, CJ? I'm disappointed." Toby smirked.

"Bite me," she snapped.

"Seems like he already did," Josh commented to Sam, the pair snickering.

"There's nothing wrong with a little fun, CJ." Sam spoke up, trying and failing to calm the teasing.

"Stop it all of you, now get let's get on with this meeting." CJ said plainly, staring daggers at Toby as the others all revelled in the fact that she'd obviously had a fun time convincing Toby he was the only guy for her after the date.

Later that day, CJ swung by Toby's office and practically slammed the door off its hinges, causing him to sit back in alarm.

"Come on, Toby, what the hell?" she asked furiously.

"I was having some fun," he shrugged in defence, standing to meet her.

"No-one would've noticed!" her voice was erratic and he stepped closer, thumbing the hickey on her neck gently.

"It's not that bad," he said lightly and she shivered at his touch.

"They all think I'm an idiot who puts out on the first date." She moaned, and he looked into her eyes softly.

"Who cares?"

"I do!" she argued.

"What is there to worry about?" he wondered.

"Say your theory's right, and they know, they'll think I'm a shitty girlfriend."

"If my theory's right, they'll know I did it," He said smugly, kissing the now incredibly sensitive spot on her neck.

"Not here…" she said in frustration, arching into his lips.

"I could give you a matching one on the other side?" he quipped and she slapped his arm.

"No. This is so embarrassing." She stepped away from him and straightened her jacket.

"It'll be okay, Ceej." He said sympathetically and she kissed his cheek before leaving, still feeling ridiculous but now nervous that maybe they had figured things out? They knew she wasn't the type to put out on a first date, she never had been if she really liked a guy, and if they had seen them on the steps, they definitely knew. If only she could get them to reveal that to her…

"I swear to god I am not lying." Sam growled down the phone to Josh and Donna simultaneously.

"What happened?" Donna asked him.

"She barged into his office, obviously pissed with him for pointing out the hickey, and then they were being all intimate and he was kissing her neck weirdly and it was basically a side of Toby I wished never to see." He shuddered.

"I thought Toby always kept the blinds shut?" Josh contributed.

"They're broke slightly, and apparently just a couple missing means I can see a lot more than you'd think."

"Luckily they've never had sex in there." He replied.

"Eww, Josh!" Donna whined and Sam smirked to himself.

"Back on track," he interrupted, "Should I say something?"

"No, CJ's had enough embarrassment for one day." Josh declared, eliciting a strong sense of pride on Donna's side for the protective nature in the tone regarding his friend.

"I think we should wait until Thursday," Donna spoke up.

"How will the summit help?" Sam wondered. The G8 Summit began on Thursday which meant the staffers would be flying out to Seattle for a long weekend trip.

"Hotel rooms; potentially being away from each other if Toby gets called back for the House vote with Josh; the excitement of a different state; diplomatic tensions running high – do I need to say anymore?"

"We get it, Donna. You're absolutely right." Sam smiled and on the other end, Josh and Donna shared looks of anticipation and bemusement at the potential the G8 Summit was going to be bringing for their own little reasons.