All characters belong to Aaron Sorkin, John Wells Productions, Warner Bros., & NBC. The title's from a 10,000 Maniacs song. Standard disclaimers apply. Please send feedback.
Candy Everybody Wants
Violet
"You've got to taste this."
Toby stared dubiously at the piece of candy. "No, I don't."
C.J. tossed it up and caught it. "Oh, I think you do."
"I am not interested in your little fetish for these...." He waved a hand vaguely.
"Creme Savers."
"Whatever." He walked around his desk and dropped into his chair. "I'm not interested. Go away."
"No." She folded her arms resolutely and stood still.
"You don't have--"
"You have to taste this."
"You don't have work to do?"
She shrugged. "It's Saturday."
"So?" He picked up a pen and a legal pad.
"So, you know, barring a coup in a foreign country, or an oil spill, or some kind of other national emergency, I don't have much work to do."
"Yeah." Toby looked at her bleakly. "You know what's going to happen now, right?"
"A national emergency?"
"A national emergency," he agreed. "You've jinxed America. Now something's going to explode."
"I never knew you were so superstitious." She smiled and sat down on the corner of his desk. "Nothing's going to explode."
"It's going to explode. It's exploding."
"Superstitious and paranoid."
"It just exploded." Toby tapped his pen on his paper and glared at her. "Now go away."
"They taste like strawberries," she said teasingly. "They're sweet, but not too sugary. They're delicious."
"It's not going to look good for this administration," he muttered.
"What? The Communications Director enjoying a piece of candy?"
"The Press Secretary being a dangerous lunatic on a sugar rush."
"I'm not--"
"You're hyper," Toby said flatly. "You don't know your own limits for caffeine, glucose, or alcohol. You don't handle substances as well as you think you do, although I wouldn't say you're on Josh's level. But right now you're high on a cocktail of coffee and Creme Savers and God knows what else, and you're acting like an elementary school miscreant. And while you're in here trying to implement some peer pressure, I'm sure you have duties and responsibilities that are being neglected."
She hesitated before she spoke. "Okay, all that may be true. But you know what?"
"What?"
"I'm rubber and you're glue."
Toby blinked as she burst out laughing. "Dear God."
"Oh, I only said that to watch you make your horrified face." C.J said, as she recovered herself. She crossed her legs. "You still have to taste this. Then I'll leave."
"You're not going to come running back in here with an Everlasting Gobstopper?"
"I'll leave you alone."
"I don't trust you." He picked up his notepad again, and started to write.
She jumped up and paced around his office. Toby concentrated very hard on his work, fighting hard to keep himself from looking up at her. Slowly, she circled the room, pausing by the window. She stopped there, with her back to Toby, staring out at the lawn. Finally, his self-control weakened. He turned in his chair to see what she was doing.
"C.J?"
She said nothing.
He sighed. "We're doing this now?"
She nodded her head emphatically.
"The silent treatment." Toby shook his head dourly. "You're really sick."
"You don't trust me," she said, still looking out the window.
"Because I don't want a piece of candy?"
"No, you idiot."
"C.J.--"
"You and Leo started running for re-election. You didn't talk to me, you didn't talk to Sam--"
"We didn't talk to the President," he pointed out, standing up.
"You made up your minds without the rest of us," she said. "Like I can't keep a secret?"
"I know you can keep a secret." He waited for her to reply. She didn't. He ran a hand across his face, and his voice dropped to a low tone. "I'm sorry."
She watched him watching her, reflected in the window glass. "You finally said it."
"I finally said it." Toby shuffled his feet. "Are we done now?"
"No."
"No?"
She turned, and a smile spread across her face. She held out her hand. "You have to taste this."
"Oh, for God's sake." He reached out and took the piece of candy from her hand. Unwrapping it quickly, he popped it into his mouth. After a moment, his eyes widened.
"There you go," she said, with a triumphant grin.
He glanced at the clock. "I have to finish the thing."
"Family Wellness?"
"Yeah." He rested a hand on the back of his chair. "It should be done by noon."
"Okay." She stepped forward and stood very close to him. "Thank you."
"It's good," he said grudgingly.
"Sweet, but not too sugary."
"Go away."
She nodded and walked away lightly. He watched her go, and made sure she was out of range before he allowed himself to laugh.