Past Tense Rising - 6

All notes and disclaimers can be found in the previous five parts.

**

"Roaming the halls, eh, Ainsley?" Sam asked as he caught up with her.
Then he noticed her stormy expression. "What's wrong?"

"Ginger's not in yet and Toby's foul mood seems to have spread to
Leo." Ainsley replied sourly. "I'm going over to Ginger's."

Sam checked his watch. "It's eleven o'clock."

"Consider it an early lunch. I already okayed it with Lionel." she
replied, taking her care keys out of her bag.

"But *we* were going to have lunch." Sam said petulantly.

"And we still will." Ainsley stopped to pat him on the
shoulder. "That's the beauty of it. Once I make sure everything's
okay at Ginger's, I'll come back and we can have lunch. But, right
now, I have to go." she rushed off.

"Hey, Josh." Sam reached out and grabbed his friend's arm as he was
passing by. "Did you ask Donna to the state dinner yet?"

Josh stared at him blankly. "The state dinner's not for another two
months, Sam. Do I look that desperate?"

"Desperate?"

"Yes, desperate." Josh replied. "Asking a month ahead of time is
acceptable. Asking two months ahead of time is desperate."

"I asked Ainsley this morning." Sam said.

"Like I said, desperate." Josh continued on his way. He passed CJ on
her way to the Oval Office. "What's shakin', Claudia Jean?"

"I'm going to Raleigh." CJ replied. "I'll be gone for a few days. How
do I tell the president so that he thinks I'm asking for his
permission?"

"Ask for his permission." Josh advised.

"But if he doesn't give it, I'm going anyway." CJ replied.

"What's this about?" Josh asked.

She looked around, then pulled Josh into the nearest office, which
happened to be Toby's. "Danny's brother and sister-in-law were killed
in a car crash yesterday. He's going to Raleigh to take care of their
affairs and to pick up his five-year old niece. I decided to go with
him in case he needs me."

Josh remained silent.

"Did you run this by Danny?" Toby asked, not looking up from his
work.

"No." CJ replied. "Because I know he won't want me to go with him."

"Brilliant, CJ." Toby rolled his eyes.

CJ turned to Josh. "What's with him?"

"Ginger's not in yet." Josh replied. "Why wouldn't Danny want you to
go?"

"I think he's still a little hurt from when I told him it wouldn't
work out between us." CJ said.

"Okay, it won't work out between the two of you, yet you're going to
Raleigh with him in this, a difficult time for him." Toby said. "Is
that correct?"

"Yeah." CJ said. "So?"

"Even more brilliant." he said. "Get out, both of you. I have a job
to do."

"Look, just because you don't have Ginger to kick around today
doesn't mean you can start kicking the rest of us around." CJ
snapped. "I can't believe you made one of the temps cry."

"I don't kick Ginger around." Toby denied the accusation. j

"Oh, please, of course you do." Josh said. "If I even thought about
treating Donna the way you treat Ginger, she'd kick my ass off the
Capitol and laugh while doing it."

"Hey." Donna poked her head into the office. "Toby, don't kill the
messenger, okay?"

"What?" Toby growled.

"Ainsley went to get Ginger."

"WHAT?!" Toby stood up. Josh, CJ, and Donna all realized that right
now, running away would probably have been the best option for them,
but Toby in this mood would hunt them down and deal with them
separately later. "What is this, nursery school?"

"But Leo asked Margaret to the state dinner." Donna made a valiant
attempt at changing the subject.

"I don't care." Toby briefly entertained the possibility of asking
Leo to fire a few people.

"He asked Margaret?" Josh asked. "That's almost as desperate as Sam
asking Ainsley."

"Sam asked Ainsley?" Donna repeated.

"Whatever." CJ headed out the door. "I'll have my cell phone with me
in Raleigh if anyone wants to get in touch with me."

"Why's she going to Raleigh?" Donna asked.

Josh took her arm and began to steer her out of Toby's office. "I'll
tell you later, Donna. We've got jobs."

tbc

Past Tense Rising - 7

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