The West Wing - First Time Fears
Title: First Time Fears
Fandom: The West Wing
Characters: CJ Cregg, Toby Ziegler/Andrea Wyatt
Prompt: #024 String
Word Count: 667
Rating: PG
Summary: CJ’s first Press Briefing is looming and her nerves are taking over.
--
She’d been through every memory trick in order to remember the seat plan. For the past twenty-four hours she’d had everyone shooting random questions at her on current affairs. Still, CJ was nervous. Her first official Press Briefing would begin in half an hour, and her mind was rolling through a list of worse case scenarios.
“You okay?” She looked up to see Toby standing in her doorway.
“Yeah,” She lied, playing with her necklace. “Don’t you have some thing with Andy this morning?”
“I’m on my way. I just wanted to see you first.” He admitted, walking into her office and closing the door behind him.
“I’m really fine Toby.”
“No you’re not.” Sitting on the edge of her desk, he pulled something out of his pocket. “So I bought you this.”
“A ball of string?” CJ raised an eyebrow. “You ditched a Doctor’s appointment with your wife to give me a ball of string?”
“I didn’t ‘ditch’ anything,” Toby flicked the ball into her lap and frowned. “When I was little and my sister’s took me to my first protest rally they ah…” He trailed off, not wanting to break his tough exterior.
“What Toby?” Her cheeky grin disappeared and she threw the ball back to him.
“Give me your wrist.” He said, opening the top draw of her desk to grab some scissors. Reluctantly she held out her arm as he tied a piece of string around her slender wrist, ensuring not to make it too tight or too loose. “You could be miles away from me and get scared. This tells you I’m with you. I believe in you CJ.” He cut another piece of string and tied it to his own wrist with minor difficulties.
“I didn’t want to tell anyone I was too afraid to go out there.”
“You didn’t need to tell me,” He smiled as she began to play with her string bracelet. “I should get going.”
“Yeah, Andy will be waiting for you.” CJ said quietly. In response Toby simply nodded and stood up to leave. “Hey Toby?” She fiddled with the string some more as he turned back to look at her.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.” She flashed a shy smile.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Toby shrugged. “You’re my best friend.”
“Ha! I’m your only friend Ziegler,” CJ joked, leaning back in her chair. “And don’t you forget it.” They shared an amused smile before he disappeared out the door. Biting her lip CJ began reading over her notes again. She was going to get through her first briefing.
--
“Why are you wearing a piece of string around your wrist?” Andy asked with a raised eyebrow. They were the only ones in the waiting, and she’d become bored with the gossip magazines.
“CJ was worried about doing her first briefing with the press,” Toby began, his eyes trained on the television. He knew the hospital wouldn’t be showing a live feed of the briefing, but he hoped there would be a news update at some point that mentioned it. “I tied a piece of string to her wrist so she knew I was with her if anything went wrong.” He noticed his wife become quite tense as he spoke.
“You really like CJ don’t you?”
“She’s my best friend, Andy.” He turned in his chair to face her.
“I know.” She replied, refusing to break eye contact. Something in the way she looked at him suggested she wanted to say more but she wouldn’t allow herself to do so. The only time he was truly happy, it seemed, was with CJ and it frustrated her at the best of times. But it wasn’t the time or the place.
“Mr and Mrs Ziegler,” They both looked up as a nurse appeared in the doorway. “The Doctor will see you now.” Silently they stood and followed the woman. Toby glanced up at the TV one last time to see CJ confidently stepping up to the podium. He smiled.
Fandom: The West Wing
Characters: CJ Cregg, Toby Ziegler/Andrea Wyatt
Prompt: #024 String
Word Count: 667
Rating: PG
Summary: CJ’s first Press Briefing is looming and her nerves are taking over.
--
She’d been through every memory trick in order to remember the seat plan. For the past twenty-four hours she’d had everyone shooting random questions at her on current affairs. Still, CJ was nervous. Her first official Press Briefing would begin in half an hour, and her mind was rolling through a list of worse case scenarios.
“You okay?” She looked up to see Toby standing in her doorway.
“Yeah,” She lied, playing with her necklace. “Don’t you have some thing with Andy this morning?”
“I’m on my way. I just wanted to see you first.” He admitted, walking into her office and closing the door behind him.
“I’m really fine Toby.”
“No you’re not.” Sitting on the edge of her desk, he pulled something out of his pocket. “So I bought you this.”
“A ball of string?” CJ raised an eyebrow. “You ditched a Doctor’s appointment with your wife to give me a ball of string?”
“I didn’t ‘ditch’ anything,” Toby flicked the ball into her lap and frowned. “When I was little and my sister’s took me to my first protest rally they ah…” He trailed off, not wanting to break his tough exterior.
“What Toby?” Her cheeky grin disappeared and she threw the ball back to him.
“Give me your wrist.” He said, opening the top draw of her desk to grab some scissors. Reluctantly she held out her arm as he tied a piece of string around her slender wrist, ensuring not to make it too tight or too loose. “You could be miles away from me and get scared. This tells you I’m with you. I believe in you CJ.” He cut another piece of string and tied it to his own wrist with minor difficulties.
“I didn’t want to tell anyone I was too afraid to go out there.”
“You didn’t need to tell me,” He smiled as she began to play with her string bracelet. “I should get going.”
“Yeah, Andy will be waiting for you.” CJ said quietly. In response Toby simply nodded and stood up to leave. “Hey Toby?” She fiddled with the string some more as he turned back to look at her.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.” She flashed a shy smile.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Toby shrugged. “You’re my best friend.”
“Ha! I’m your only friend Ziegler,” CJ joked, leaning back in her chair. “And don’t you forget it.” They shared an amused smile before he disappeared out the door. Biting her lip CJ began reading over her notes again. She was going to get through her first briefing.
--
“Why are you wearing a piece of string around your wrist?” Andy asked with a raised eyebrow. They were the only ones in the waiting, and she’d become bored with the gossip magazines.
“CJ was worried about doing her first briefing with the press,” Toby began, his eyes trained on the television. He knew the hospital wouldn’t be showing a live feed of the briefing, but he hoped there would be a news update at some point that mentioned it. “I tied a piece of string to her wrist so she knew I was with her if anything went wrong.” He noticed his wife become quite tense as he spoke.
“You really like CJ don’t you?”
“She’s my best friend, Andy.” He turned in his chair to face her.
“I know.” She replied, refusing to break eye contact. Something in the way she looked at him suggested she wanted to say more but she wouldn’t allow herself to do so. The only time he was truly happy, it seemed, was with CJ and it frustrated her at the best of times. But it wasn’t the time or the place.
“Mr and Mrs Ziegler,” They both looked up as a nurse appeared in the doorway. “The Doctor will see you now.” Silently they stood and followed the woman. Toby glanced up at the TV one last time to see CJ confidently stepping up to the podium. He smiled.