All previous notes and disclaimers can be found in the first eighteen parts.
Yes, you may archive it, just let me know where.

**

When Toby reentered the room after regaining control of himself, the first
thing he saw was Ginger's face. In her eyes, he could see her world
shattering into a million pieces right in front of her.

The second thing he noticed was that the room had gone dead silent. And it
wasn't a good silent. It was a tension-filled,
someone-please-say-something-now silent. The third thing he noticed was Ron
Butterfield trying to restrain both the President and Charlie from jumping
Mick Slater.

"Easy, easy!" Ron shouted.

"Hey, take it easy, will ya, mates?" Mick shouted. "It was a bloody joke!"

"What happened?" Toby asked Donna, who was openly glowering at Mick.

"Mr. Sensitivity made a remark to Zoey about Charlie." Margaret said, her
face very red from hearing what she had just heard.

"Mick, I think you should leave." Abbey said sternly, folding her arms across
her chest. "Now."

"Hey, if I go, I'm taking my fiance with me!" Mick protested, grabbing
Ginger's arm. "Let's go, love."

"Ginger doesn't have to leave." Jed said through clenched teeth. "You,
however, do."

"Besides which," Toby said, his voice dangerously low, "she's not your fiance
*yet*, and even if she was, that doesn't give you the right to dictate where
she goes and what she does."

"Mick, go get the car." Ginger said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"I'll be out in a few minutes."

Mick glared at her for a moment, then allowed himself to be escorted out by
Ron Butterfield.

"Zoey, Charlie." Ginger shut her eyes for a long moment. "I'm so sorry, I
don't know what got into him... I don't know who that was..."

"It's not your fault, Ginger." Charlie reassured her. Zoey nodded in
agreement.

"Ginger, you don't have to leave." Toby touched her arm.

She turned to face him, the same stricken look in her eyes. "Yes, I do."

"I'll walk you out." he said, putting down his drink and getting his coat.
Seeing she was about to protest, he shook his head. "I won't take no for an
answer."

Ginger nodded and let him help her into her coat and lead her to the doorway.
Before leaving, she turned around. "Mr. President, Mrs. Bartlet--"

"Don't you dare apologize, Ginger." Jed replied.

She nodded mutely. "Good night."

"I'll be right back." Toby said.

**

Ginger was mostly silent as they walked through the halls. Toby respected her
silence and contented himself with thinking dark thoughts about Aussies and
their macho attitudes. Then he corrected himself. 'No, there's only one
Aussie I truly hate.'

"Ummm..." Ginger said as they got to the doors. "Maybe you shouldn't come out
with me."

"Ginger, you call me if you need anything at all." he said.

"Yeah." she said emotionlessly.

"Come here." he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. "I'm sorry."

She laughed through her misery. "That's my line."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." he said, holding her tightly. It was
his turn to shut his eyes against the torrents of emotion he felt.

"Thank you." she kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger on his cheek for a
second longer than she had to.

In that instant, his lips found hers and claimed them. He reached up to cup
her cheeks, giving himself more access to her mouth and for the first time
since he could remember, gave in to the rage of emotion that was coursing
through him.

Mick, waiting in the car, happened to glance up at that same moment. His face
turned white and he blasted on the horn.

Ginger, startled into jumping away from Toby, looked out the window and saw
Mick waiting for her. She touched her lips for a second, then murmured, "I
gotta go." She ran out the door and got into the car. Toby watched, alone
with his thoughts and the reality of what had just happened, as the car sped
away.

**

"Come on, Ginger! It was a joke!" Mick snapped as he switched on the hall
light in her apartment and took off his coat. "I'll admit, it wasn't in very
good taste, but still! Your people need to lighten up!"

"You asked the President's daughter why she preferred dark meat with the
President standing not five feet away." Ginger said icily. "And it's jokes
like those that contributed to what happened after the town meeting at
Newseum. How could you even think about making such a derogatory, tasteless,
hurtful, not to mention blatantly racist remark like that?"

"All right, I'm tired of arguing about it." Mick kicked off his shoes and
turned on the television. "I'll write a letter of apology."

Ginger turned off the television. "I want you to leave, Mick."

"Are you tired?" he asked, concerned.

"No. I can't be with someone who can make a remark like that to Charlie
because of the color of his skin, or to Zoey because she dates him." Ginger
replied. "I'm breaking up with you."

"What?" Mick gasped. "You're kidding, aren't you? You're breaking up with me
because of something I said to some damn n*****?" (Author's note: I really
don't like the n-word.)

Ginger slapped him. "Don't you ever say that about Charlie Young again, do
you hear--"

She was cut off as he backhanded her across the face. Stunned, the force of
the blow knocked her off-balance. But when she stood up, her eyes were
flashing with something more than fear.

"YOU DISGUST ME!" she screamed. "You son of a bitch! What gives you the
right-- People should see what you do! People should see what you're capable
of!" she made a break for the door.

Eyes blazing with a fury bordering on insanity, Mick tackled her from the
side. "You're not going anywhere, Ginger."

Ginger fought back, clawing at his neck and face, all the while screaming in
the hopes that one of the neighbors would hear and call the police. She found
a paperweight under one of the sofas and hit him with it, which only served
to infuriate him more. He grabbed her head between his hands and slammed it
against the floor. Stunned by the blow, she wasn't able to put up much of a
fight as he picked her up and carried her out of the living room.

TBC

Part 20

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