Spoilers: Noel.


"Toby?" Josh stuck his head inside of the Director of Communications' office.

"Yeah?" Toby asked, without bothering to look up.

"You got a minute?" Josh entered Toby's office and sat down on the middle
cushion of the couch.

Toby glanced over for a brief second, then brought his eyes back to the
yellow pad of paper set before him with pen marks all over it. "What do you
want?"

"I want to talk to you," Josh explained.

"We're talking. What do you want?"

"I want to ask you a question."

"What?" Toby growled, throwing his pen down and looking over at the man
sitting on his couch.

"You remember that day when you had the brass quartet here?"

"Faintly, why?"

"That day you said something," Josh looked carefully at Toby, as to study his
facial expression.

"I imagine I said a lot of things that day."

"You said 'for the last two Christmas' in this White House, you've been
accused with not being in the proper spirit. You've been called names. Not
this year. . .'" Josh trailed off on his recount of Toby's words.

"Okay," Toby said, giving Josh his full attention.

"You were affected too, weren't you?"

"What?"

Josh rubbed his eyes for a second, then looked at Toby. "You were affected
too, weren't you? By the shooting, I mean."

"Josh. . ."

"No, because the Toby I know could really care less what others think of him.
He could care less about being called names."

"That's not true," Toby interjected.

"Then why is it that when the President called you a pain in the ass, you
said that that is what your mother calls it too?"

"Because she does."

"Toby, I'm trying to be serious." Josh sighed. "The reason you were in the
'Christmas spirit' this year had nothing to do with the past two Christmas'
did it?"

"No," Toby said simply.

"I didn't think so." Josh paused for a long moment. "It had to do with the
shooting. You're thinking that life is so very precious, and you don't want
to waste it."

"I am?" Toby asked.

"Yes, you are."

"Where did you get this from?"

"Stanley. . . And my new therapist."

"Look, Josh. Just because you have to see a shrink, doesn't mean-"

"No, it doesn't. But I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes."

Josh got up from the couch and went to stand right in front of Toby's desk.
"Don't worry, my friend. We are going to survive this," Josh said, and then
left.

Toby just continued to sit in his chair, staring at the door that Josh just
walked out of. "Yeah. . ." he murmured.


THE END