Chapter Eight
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| The West Wing My Way Chapter Eight |
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| The Bartlet for America campaign hits it stride, despite the way CJ's first day started out. After Jed apologizes, CJ gets her head in the game and earns the respect of her co-workers. There are still no rooms available at any hotels within driving distance of headquarters, and CJ isn't comfortable enough with any of the women on the campaign to share rooms except Josh's assistant, Donna, who's sleeping in her car. Toby sharing a room with anyone but CJ is out of the question, since both Josh and Sam are scared of him, so CJ is stuck in Toby's room for the entire time they're in New Hampshire, which is a while because the primiaries haven't seven started yet. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| After a week of sleeping in the same room, Toby and CJ resemble and old married couple. It is as if they've been living together forever. They work out an unspoken morning routine, where she showers while he gets the papers and coffee, and he showers while she reads the papers and then she fills him in on all of the details while he drives to headquarters. Their colleagues have picked up on their special bond, but after that first day, no on questions their close relationship. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Everything is going great until Toby gets a phone call early one morning while he's in the shower and CJ answers it. "Hello?" There's a pause before a woman reacts to CJ's greeting. "Hi, I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong number." CJ chuckles as she realizes who's on the other line. "Andrea, this is CJ Cregg." Another pause. "Claudia," Andi says flatly. "I didn't know you were on the east coast. Do you know where my husband is?" Andrea Wyatt is clearly not happy about CJ answering the phone in her husband's room. "Um..." CJ doesn't know what to say. She can't say, "Oh, Toby's in the shower. Let me go tell him you're on the line." ANdi obviously didn't know that Toby and CJ were working on the same campaign; it would greak Andi out to find out that they're sharing a hotel room, too. "Toby isn't here right now, he had to step out. Do you want me to tell him to call you?" Andi sighs. CJ can tell she's not going to like what she hears. "No, Claudia. Just tell him that I'm coming to visit. I'll be there tomorrow morning around seven." Andi hangs up before CJ can answer. She's sitting on the bed with her head in her hands when Toby comes out of the shower a few minutes later. "What's up, CJ?" She looks up at him. "Andi just called, and she seemed suprised when I answered the phone. Toby, what's going on?" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Toby walks across the bathroom away from CJ. He can't believe he just todl her that he's not sorry his marriage is falling apart. He sits on the floor with his back against the wall before he explains himself to CJ. "Andi and I never have time alone. We're never together outside of a party. And even then, we're not really together. I mean, you saw us tonight...on separate sides of the room all night unless there's a photo-op or someone she wants to impress. I don't know when it happened, but this has become a marriage of convenience. I love my wife, CJ. I really do. I just don't know if I want to be married to her anymore." Tears well up in his eyes as he tells CJ his biggest fears, and it's at that moment that she decides to put aside her romantic feelings for Toby and help him fix his marriage. She walks over and sits beside him on the floor. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "When did she ask you to move out?" Toby sighs and finishes off the bottle of wine. "This morning after we made love. But, I should have known then, because we didn't make LOVE. We had sex. She got out of bed after we had sex and told me that she didn't think things were working out and that it would be better if I just left for a while and gave her some space." CJ takes the empty bottle from Toby and looks at him. She cannot understand how that woman can treat Toby like she does! It angers her to no end that Andi told him after she got her morning fix. "So, what are you gonna do?" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Toby scratches his head. "I dunno. I got offered a job in LA. I was thinking that maybe I could go out there, give Andi and myself time apart to think." He looks questioningly at CJ. "Do you think that's a good idea, CJ?" She smiles and pats Toby's arm. "Toby, you need to do that you feel is right. If you want to come out to LA and give Andrea some space, do it. I'll support you no matter what choice you make. You know that." Toby nods his thanks. CJ is the only person who has ever loved Toby unconditionally. That's why he's so comfortable telling her his feelings and thoughts even his wife doesn't know about. Toby knows that if it weren't for Andi, he and CJ would have ended up together. But because he was engaged when they met, and because he found being in CJ's company exhilarating, he decided in that moment that she had to be in his life, even if it was only as his best friend. "So I can stay with you, then?" CJ smiles. "Of course." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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