Chapter Thirteen

~*~Part Thirteen~*~

“We need to talk.”

The words just sat there, plump and heavy in the air, like a wall between him
and her. Toby sighed, closing his eyes. Why’d things have to get so difficult?
Just the other day he’d been thrilled to have her staying with him, and now –

Well, now he was still thrilled to have her here. Things were just more
complicated. She was working at the White House, as one of his writers, not to
mention dating his Deputy. And that was breeding vicious rumors amongst the
other writers, some of which he’d been forced to let go today when their mouths
got the better of them during the impromptu meeting he called right there, in
the bullpen.

“What about?” he asked quietly, forcing himself to remain calm since it was
obvious, by the way Willow was tapping her fingers on her knees, that she wasn’t
going to do so. His niece had a fiery temper when finally riled up to the
boiling point, sort of like himself, and he knew that this wasn’t going to be
pleasant.

“What. About?” She repeated slowly, raising her eyebrows. He could almost swear
he saw lightning flicker in those emerald eyes of hers, little sparks that shot
through them so quick he was left wondering if maybe he hadn’t been working too
hard lately. “How about the little meeting that was called while I was at
lunch?”

He’d known that, of course. There was nothing else that had happened today that
could have set her so far on edge. She was a mass of energy that was likely to
explode at any moment. Her mother had been like that, as a teen. Quiet to the
breaking point and then – wham! Like a bomb going off.

“It was necessary,” he answered firmly, sitting up a little straighter. “They
didn’t have the right –“

“To say what they thought?” She burst out, the explosion he had been expecting
coming swiftly. “They had that right.”

“No, they don’t,” he argued, setting his lips in a tight line, face hard. “It is
harassment at the very least, Willow. It is creating an unfavorable working
environment, in another. Disrupting the course of the day, for another reason. I
can keep going, if you like.”

“I can handle my problems myself!” She snapped, glaring at him. “I don’t need
someone watching my back, making sure the little kiddies don’t hurt my
feelings.”

“And you were doing such a good job of it, too!” Toby growled.

Her glare deepened, but he continued on.

“You’re dating the Deputy Communications Director and suddenly you’re a member
of the speech writing staff for the President of the United States. Do you
really think I can just let them keep talking? What if a reporter overhears what
they’re saying?”

“And what if one of the ones you fired goes straight to a reporter?” She sighed,
deflating. “Did you stop to think of that?”

He hadn’t. He’d been so caught up in his role as defender that he’d completely
forgotten that rumors were just as easily spread outside of the West Wing as
they were within it.

“We need to let them know who you are,” he offered after a moment’s silence. “At
least then they’ll quite assuming you only got the job because of Sam.”

She snorted. “I’ve worked quite hard to stay anonymous, and now it’s all
crumbling around me.”

He’d drop a few hints about the President having hand selected her, as well;
Toby decided silently.

“I’m going to get comfortable,” Willow muttered for his benefit, standing up
slowly. “But this isn’t over, you know. Tomorrow will be bad again. And the day
after. Time can heal things that words and rumors can’t.” She paused, sucking
her lower lip into her mouth. “And I –can- take care of myself, Uncle Toby.
Please don’t doubt that. But. . .thanks. You know, for trying.”

He smiled, wishing it could be with more warmth than he was feeling at that
moment. CJ wasn’t going to like this.

~*~*~

CJ kept her face bland as she took another question from yet another member of
the press corps, wondering if today would be the day. She still felt a hard knot
of tension in her stomach from talking to first Toby, then Willow, the night
before. His actions couldn’t have been worse, in hindsight. He’d given the rumor
mongers no reason not to take their suspicions directly to some of the less
tasteful members of the press, some of which were sitting in this very room
right now.

“Yes, Greg.” She nodded, in answer to the question. “We’ll have more information
for you on that later today. Rachel?”

The brunette in question was one of those very reporters she had just been
thinking of. The type that was more interested in scandal than the news. If the
question was going to come, this would be the time.

“CJ,” Rachel began, glancing down at her notepad. “There’s a rumor circulating
regarding something of a scandal involving Sam Seaborn and one ‘Willow
Rosenberg’, niece to Toby Ziegler.”

CJ nodded. “Thank you for bringing that up, Rachel.” She smiled graciously, as
if she’d been waiting for someone to do just that, before turning to the corps
in general. “Willow Rosenberg is the newest member of our speech writing staff.
She was hand chosen by the President for her skills in commentary and opinion
work. You would probably best know her as W.A. Rosen.”

The noise of the corps died to a fraction of its normal buzz, and she smiled
inwardly, thanking Toby for having the presence of mind to give her that little
tidbit of information. She’d looked up W.A. Rosen once she’d gotten the name,
just for background information, and found that the writer was well-respected.

“W.A. Rosen?” Another of the reporters spoke up. “I just want to make sure we
all heard that correctly.”

“Yes,” CJ spared him a smile. “Now, as to the rumor, I’m sure you can see
exactly which bin you should file it in, hmm?”

She exited the tiny stage before they could recover enough to start firing off
the questions.

“How do you think it went?” Carol was right there, a step behind, handing her
papers to look through.

“Wonderfully if the stunned looks on their faces was any indication,” CJ
grinned.

That would be the last they heard of –that- particular rumor, she hoped. At
least, from the press. The rest of Toby’s staff. . . .

Well, them she couldn’t answer for.

~*~End Part~*~