From his office Toby watched like a hawk as Sam entered the Bullpen and was accosted by Bonnie, Ginger, and Cathy within seconds. Bonnie got her file, Ginger got her answer, Cathy got her donut and they scattered to their stations, leaving a tired-looking Sam in their wake. Sam wandered over to his office and Toby moved to the window that allowed him to see into the dark room.

His deputy shut the door behind him, unusual of him, and tossed his briefcase and laptop somewhat carelessly on top of his desktop. Toby winced as the younger man raised his arms above his head, cracking his back with a muffled groan. With a start, Toby realized that Sam was wearing the same suit from the day before. While it was not unusual to see Josh unchanged occasionally, Sam could usually be counted upon to rush home long enough for a quick change, if not a shower.

One of the constants of Toby's universe was Sam showing up at work looking like the poster-child of a political prodigy. He was always nicely dressed and well groomed, with an irrepressible grin ready at his lips. This morning he just looked haggard and worn.

Sighing, he decided he could learn nothing more from just standing in his office, spying on the other man. If he wanted answers, he would just have to ask the questions. Exiting his office, he opened Sam's door without a knock and stepped inside the dark lair.

Sam looked up from his filing cabinet as Toby shut the door behind him. "Toby?" he asked, surprised by his boss' sudden appearance, and nervous about the expression on his bearded face.

"What's the matter?" He wasted no time for trivialities. There something the matter with his deputy, and he was determined to learn what it was so that he could go about fixing it. After all, he was supposed to be the one with troubles, or Josh, or Leo. Not Sam. Sam and CJ were generally expected to have everything in their lives together so they could help the less stable staffers out of their problems.

The deputy blinked at him and closed the filing cabinet with his hip, not taking his eyes off him as he dropped the extracted file on his desk and moved behind it to take a seat.

Toby crossed his arms over his chest self-consciously, beginning to feel uncomfortable with Sam's stare. He wasn't good at lending a helping hand, and for anyone other than his deputy, or perhaps CJ, he ordinarily wouldn't have bothered. There were always better people more qualified for the task to fall back on. With Sam though, he considered it his responsibility.

"How do you do that?" Sam asked quietly, lowering himself into the leather chair. "How do you know when something's wrong?" His blue eyes glowed in the dim light.

Swallowing, Toby moved further into the office to stand behind one of the guest chairs. "I just know," he replied tersely, unwilling at the moment to go further into the phenomena. That would require them having The Conversation, the one they'd both been avoiding since their sibling-like feelings had surfaced. "Now what's wrong?"

Sam leaned back in his chair, setting it to a gentle rocking motion, and closed his eyes wearily as he thought over the emotions swirling inside him. "I met a boy last night," he began softly, his eyes still shut, providing a black backdrop for the memories to play against in his mind's eye. "He'd been living in an alley outside the grocery store I shop at."

Blinking, Toby slowly moved around the chair and slid into it, leaning forward a little despite himself, drawn into the story.

"I'd noticed him before a few times, but I'd convinced myself he was just a neighborhood boy out playing. But last night it was so cold, and already dark, and I was worried that he was still outside. So I stopped and asked him where he lived. And he told me the alley was his home." Sam opened his eyes and Toby could see the sick feeling Sam had been inflicted with upon learning that.

"He… his parents died a few years ago and he and his older sister were taken to an adoption agency. The sister was adopted quickly, separating him, and when no one really wanted him, the agency gave him to a foster family until something permanent could be arranged. He told me that his foster parents beat him… so he ran away." Sam choked on his words, struggling. "God, Toby, I saw the scars on his arms. They'd whipped him with a belt.

"I felt so horrible, and the next thing I knew I was packing him into my car, taking him home with me. I got him cleaned up, and fed him. And he started talking again, about his life on the street. He's seven years old, Toby, and he's been living out there since he was five."

Toby sat in silence for a few moments, taken by surprise, having not a clue as to what he could, or should say. He coughed. "Um, where is he now?"

Sam gazed at him with steady eyes, seemingly gauging him for something, determining if he could trust him. "He's still at my apartment," he answered slowly, cautiously, when he had convinced himself Toby was safe to tell.

"You left him there alone? You let him stay the night?" Toby demanded harshly, springing from his seat. "Sam, you've done some pretty idiot things before but this… Sam you found him on the street! He could've killed you in you sleep and stolen all your things. His sob story could have been a ploy to trick you into feeling sorry for him. Right now he could be packing all your stuff to a pawn shop!"

Something in Sam's eyes became cold and hard as he locked stares with the older man. "I can't believe you just said that Toby," he whispered. "You weren't there Toby. You didn't see this boy. I know he wasn't trying to trick me."

Toby felt like he was beating his head against a brick wall. Sometimes Sam's innocence and naiveté were so dense that they couldn't be penetrated, not by a thousand cynics, let alone just him. "Let's say that the kid is completely innocent. What were you thinking taking him home with you? What are you going to do with him now?"

He watched as the tenseness slowly eased out Sam's shoulders and back. The blue eyes gentled and his scowl melted into forlorn confusion. "I don't know," he whispered raggedly. "All I wanted was to make everything better for him… but how am I supposed to do that?"

"You could take him to a shelter, or another adoption agency," Toby suggested, retaking his seat, keeping his eyes on Sam. He knew the young man well enough to know that the boy's plight was eating away at Sam from the inside.

Sam shook his head sadly. "He'd just bolt. I can't convince him that what happened to him before won't happen again. I don't blame him for not wanting to go back. Hell, I know how those places can be…"

Toby's eyes narrowed and he scooted to the edge of his seat, his stare piercing, boring into Sam's suddenly frightened gaze. "How do you know?" he asked suspiciously.

Standing abruptly, Sam strode towards the door, yanking the file off his desk. "I have to talk to Leo, Toby. I can't… I can't do this right now." Then he was out the door and fleeing the Bullpen towards the Oval Office and Leo's domain.

For a moment, Toby sat frozen in his spot, staring at the now empty chair where Sam had been sitting just moments ago. He had struck some chord, he knew, but he didn't know which one, or how he had done it.

Slowly he raised up out of Sam's guest chair and moved out of the office, frowning darkly, deep in thought. Ginger approached him with something in her hand, took one look at his face, and scurried away nervously, regretting the day she had walked into the White House and been assigned to Toby Ziegler.

Intent on his goal, Toby raced through the halls until he reached the Deputy Chief of Staff's office. At her desk, Donna looked up and smiled weakly, despite his glare. "Can I help you, Toby?"

Ignoring her, Toby blew past her desk and crashed through Josh's door, slamming it behind him. "Josh," he growled.

The younger man looked up from the paper he was going over and stared wide-eyed at him. "I didn't do it," he breathed automatically. "It was Sam, all Sam."

Toby snorted and shook his head. "You're a real good pal there Josh, sacrificing Sam like that," he muttered, momentarily thrown off his mission.

Josh swallowed and leaned back in his chair. "Considering the circumstances, I think he'd forgive me. Besides, he's better equipped to handle you anyway."

"What?" Toby asked, confused. "Never mind." He shook himself. "What do you know about Sam and adoption agencies?"

Josh's eyes grew round as saucers as he stood. "Why?" he asked quietly. "What's happened?"

"I was talking to him a few minutes ago about something having to do with them, and when I asked him how he knew so much about what they were like, he panicked and ran for Leo's office."

Breathing in slowly, Josh dropped back into his seat. "When he was five, Sam's parents died. He was placed in an orphanage and went through three abusive foster homes until he ended up with his permanent family." Josh sighed and shook his head sadly. "When he was seventeen his adoptive parents died too and ever since, he's felt kind of… abandoned."

Toby stared at Josh, taking in the new, shocking information. No wonder Sam had taken the boy home and no wonder he had reacted so strongly to Toby's arguments. Feeling horrible, Toby barely spared Josh a nod before he was heading back to his own Bullpen.

He found Sam just coming back from Leo's office and he followed him back into his office before Sam could protest. "I'm sorry," he murmured, shutting the door.

Sam eyed him warily, standing in front of his desk. "You talked to Josh, didn't you?" Toby couldn't tell if it was a question or an accusation.

"Yeah." He stepped forward, folding his arms against his chest. "Look, Sam… I know you went through a horrible childhood, and I know you want to save this boy from that too, but… you can't feel responsible."

"But I do feel responsible," Sam whispered, turning miserable eyes on his boss. "I remember always thinking nobody loved me, and hating everyone for not caring, for not doing anything to save me. It took me a long time to work through that, and then it was only because my new family was so loving and supportive. I don't want Jake to go through all that."

Toby stopped beside the chair he had been sitting in, giving Sam some space. "Jake?"

Sam nodded, chewing his lip nervously. "That's his name."

They stood in silence for a few moments before Toby shook his head resignedly and prepared himself for future regret. "Take me to him."

Sam raised his eyes and smiled weakly, tears glistening in his gaze.

"I don't… I don't get it… where is he?"

Toby looked around the living room and at the rumpled blanket and pillow piled on the couch. He spotted a crumpled piece of paper and a pen sitting on the coffee table. "Sam?" he called.

Sam emerged from his bedroom, frowning, to find Toby holding a piece of paper off one of his legal pads. He hurried over and grabbed it from him, his eyes scanning over the blocky, misspelled message. "No," he whispered. "No, no no no no no! He thought I was going to take him back! He though… Toby, come on, we have to find him!"

Toby grabbed Sam's arm as he tried to race past, and dragged him to a halt. "Sam, no. You'll never find him. You can't save this one."

The younger man stared into his eyes desperately, tears threatening to fall again. "Damn it, Toby, I wouldn't have taken him back. I wouldn't have…" he trailed off, his gaze dropping to the floor as the fight left him. "He didn't think anyone cared. I cared. No one cared for me, but I…"

He knew what Sam needed like he had known Sam was hurting. Awkwardly at first, but gradually more confident, Toby pulled the younger man into his arms, letting Sam's head fall to his shoulder as his deputy's shoulders began to shake with his tears.

"People care, Sam," he whispered.

"No they don't," Sam mumbled into his neck, clutching the back of his suit jacket desperately. "No one does. No one cares and no one loves. Not for people like me and Jake."

Toby bit his lip and squeezed Sam a little. "That's not true. People *do* care. You cared about Jake, and… I care about you." Sam pulled away from, staring at him in disbelief. "Toby, you don't…"

"Yes I do," Toby insisted, taking Sam's shoulders in his hands. "You're my deputy, and my pupil, and my brother Sam. You've always been more of a brother to me than my own."

A moment passed and then Sam was back in Toby's arms, hugging him just as tightly as he was being hugged.

"If you tell Josh that I said any of that, or that we stood here hugging, I swear to God I'll kill you," Toby growled roughly.

Sam laughed softly. "Love you too."