All characters belong to Aaron Sorkin, John Wells Productions, Warner Bros., & NBC. Title & lyrics are from Eddie Vedder's live version of the Hunters And Collectors song. Standard disclaimers apply. Please send feedback.

Throw Your Arms Around Me
Violet


I will come to you in the daytime,
I will race you to your bed
I will kiss you in four places,
As I go swimming 'round in your head --
I could squeeze the life right out of you
I will make you laugh, and make you cry....

It was exactly three in the afternoon when she walked into the room. He was sitting on the end of the bed, and he looked up at her.

"Nice," she said, letting the door close itself behind her.

"Yeah." He waved a hand to indicate a room service tray with a bottle of wine. "I called ahead."

"What's the occasion?" She sat down beside him.

"The occasion? I felt like having some wine."

"You know I have to go straight back to work."

"So do I," he reminded her.

"Yes, but no one would notice if you were tipsy."

"Tipsy?"

She crossed her legs and reached down to take off her shoes. "You know what I mean."

He shrugged. "Have a little. You'll be fine."

"Might as well be hung for a sheep," she agreed, and accepted the glass he held out to her.

He watched her from the corner of his eye while they each sipped their wine, appreciating the curve of her neck and the graceful set of her shoulders.

She felt his gaze on her, and chuckled. "You're out of your mind, you know that?"

He tried studiously to hold back a smile. "You are."

"And you would also appear to be about fifteen years old."

He looked down as the corners of his mouth quirked upward. "Sounds about right."

She set her wine glass on the tray and looked at him. "So," she said, with wide-eyed innocence, "What shall we do now?"

"Synchronize our watches?" he retorted, but he was already reaching out to slip her jacket from her shoulders.

She loosened his tie with one hand as the other drifted downwards. "Something like that."

And you may never forget it
As I make you call my name,
As I shout it to the blue summer sky --
And we may never meet again,
So shed your skin, let's get started
And you will throw your arms around me....

"How long have we been doing this?" Toby asked, a while later.

"Since the campaign," C.J. replied, distracted.

"I meant today."

"Oh." She craned her head and looked at the clock. "It's three- thirty-four."

"Break for some water?"

"Sure."

They separated. "This is good," he said, thirstily.

"Yes. I think I may be dehydrated."

"I wonder why."

She leaned back against a pillow. "And now would be a good time for a cigarette."

"You don't smoke."

"No, but -- do you remember Luke?"

"Maybe. Luke who?"

"Luke Weiler. My Luke."

"Oh, your Luke." He finished his water. "No."

"I was living with him when I first met you, and for like three years after that."

"I wasn't paying attention to your sleeping arrangements."

"Why not?" She smiled fleetingly. "Anyway. Luke was a smoker. I didn't like it, you know, in the house... but I didn't mind if he did it in bed sometimes." C.J. ran a finger along the rim of her water glass. "It was a little sexy."

"Cigarettes are sexy?" He gave her a sidelong glance.

"Not as such. The smoke can be, a little."

He put his glass down. "I'll have to remember that for next time."

She saw the amusement on his face and shook her head. "Toby, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

"And I'll have to remember that." Something else occurred to him as he reached for her. "Since the campaign?"

She laughed as she raised her arms over her head. "I think the wine might have gotten to me."

I will come to you at night-time,
I will climb into your bed
I will kiss you in a hundred and fifty-five places,
As I go swimming 'round in your head....

Toby had had too much to drink, and he'd known it, and he hadn't cared.

He followed C.J. out onto the roof of the hotel. "What are we doing here?" he muttered.

"You're getting some fresh air," she said calmly, walking to the roof's edge. "And I'm looking at the city. This is an incredible view."

"We should be downstairs."

"You can see five bridges from here!"

"C.J.--" He made a frustrated gesture and started to walk back toward the stairs.

"Stop that," she ordered. "Come here."

He turned around. "When did you turn into my mother?"

"Sometimes I think you could use one." She leaned slightly over the railing, scanning the stars. "You were losing it in there with Wilson and Buchbinder."

He paced toward her. "They're idiots."

"They're important idiots," she countered. "If we don't get their endorsement and their money, we're going to be running this campaign out of the back of a rented van."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"No, I don't, so why are you behaving like you're literally going to bite Neil Buchbinder's head off?"

"Literally?"

"Yeah, literally, Doctor Lecter." She sighed. "Don't quibble. You know what I meant. What's going on?"

He stood next to her and looked out at the view. "New York at night."

"It's pretty impressive. I've only been here a couple of times, but every time I am -- well, it doesn't look or sound or feel anything like California.

"Nowhere else is like it."

"I know. Don't you ever just want... I don't know, sky and trees?"

"No," he said honestly. "But Central Park's right there."

"And where is your place?"

He pointed. "Over that way. Except it's not my place anymore. Which is just as well, it's not like I can afford the rent."

"You should talk. Do I have to remind you again how much I gave up to do this?"

"As I remember it, you were unemployed," he teased.

"Well, just barely. So is that why you're being a bitching pain in the ass?"

"I'm always--"

"You're an extraordinary bitching pain in the ass. Is it because we're in New York?"

He stared out at the skyline. "Andrea lives about ten blocks from here."

"I'm sorry." She looked at him. "I know you've been having a hard time with the divorce. I figured you didn't want to talk about it."

"I don't."

"Okay."

Toby rested his hands lightly on the railing. Finally, he turned his head and let his eyes meet hers. When he spoke, his voice was very low. "Thank you."

C.J. nodded and stepped back. She walked across the rooftop and went inside. He lingered for another moment, then went after her.

He kissed her for the first time in the stairwell, a bit surprised at both the force of his action and the energy of her response. Beyond that, he did not think much. Her arms slid around his neck, and he found himself touching her waist, drawing her against him as if it was not new.

She broke the embrace, while she still had enough willpower to do so, and led the way down into the hallway of the top floor. In the elevator, she kissed him again, and it took all his restraint to keep his hands from the zipper of her dress. Once the door of her room closed behind them, though, there was no reason to hold back.

Neither of them had any illusions. It was a transaction with no impact on their standing friendship, an escape from loneliness, a release of tension. Yet they were both startled -- though it seemed obvious, in retrospect -- by their own incendiary physical chemistry.

Afterwards, as they lay next to each other, a sudden, intense wave of self-consciousness hit them both. Toby closed his eyes briefly. C.J. ran her hands over her face. Then she laughed softly, and the awkwardness was diminished.

"What?" he said.

"We should probably get dressed and go downstairs again."

"It's late. You think they need us?"

She shrugged. "Josh and Sam should be all right."

"As long as Sam keeps Josh away from the bar."

"And what are the odds of that?" she joked. They looked at each other, and her eyes sparkled. "Then again, Leo's down there."

He nodded slowly. "They can handle it."

"Yeah. We can stay."

I could squeeze the life right out of you
I will make you laugh, and make you cry
And we may never forget it
As I make you call my name,
As you shout it to the blue summer sky....

"I guess it's time to go," C.J. said, a trifle reluctantly.

Toby gazed at the ceiling. "What time is it?"

"You're on the side with the clock. What time is it?"

He turned his head. "It's five after four."

"Yeah, it's time to go." She stretched and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"You want the first shower?"

"Thanks. I have a meeting with Nancy at quarter of five."

"She'll set you on fire if you're late."

"Fire if I'm lucky." She stood, gathering her clothes. "Are you still working on the Tokyo address?"

His eyes followed her. "Yeah. I should have it by this evening. I'll get a copy to you when it's done."

"Thanks. Anything that's going to surprise me?"

"No, but that's subject to change."

"Okay." She paused just outside the bathroom door. "Hey. The wine was nice."

"I thought so." He sat up.

"Maybe the Wyndham next time, for a change of scenery?"

He nodded. "Next time."

If there was anything else either of them wanted to say, it was left aside in silence as, outside, the sun went down.

And we may never meet again,
So shed your skin, let's get started
And you will throw your arms around me....


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