A/N: Not really a specific time frame for this Tobby/Annabeth snippet -- some point soon after Annabeth gets hired. I haven't decided if this will be a pairing. I'm just sort of playing around for right now.

He opened the door and there she was, sitting straight-back in her chair (HIS chair), with her miniscule, manicured hands folded calmly on the desktop.

“Open mouth, insert foot, Mr. Ziegler—I think you’ve made an art form of it.”

He threw up his arms. “Locks. There need to be locks, and—and signs.”

“I assume you are referring to the security of your office?” She gave an innocent smile. “If you don’t want me in here, you should just say so.”

“I DON'T want you in here—I want—There need to be guard dogs—Pit Bulls!”

He approached her threateningly, and, perhaps slightly alarmed, she shot from her chair (HIS chair) and proceeded to make a hasty exit. But she stopped just outside the door, turning smartly on her heels to face him with a startling grace. “I’ll just stand right here, then—how’s that?”

His teeth were grinding, the paper in his hand crumpled almost beyond recognition, but he let the scathing retort die on his tongue. He was tired and there was still a lot to do. With a deep sigh, he settled himself behind the desk, rubbing distractedly at his forehead.

“…The briefing was fine,” he said, when she still had not moved.

“Do you remember when I said you had a watchable quality?”

He waited a moment to reshuffle a stack of papers before replying. “…Yes.”

“Well, I really meant it in a train-wreck sort of way—you know, how you can’t tear your eyes away from the immanent carnage? –where everything continues to descend into this downward spiral, and despite the voice in the back of your head screaming at you that it’s morally reprehensible to derive such perverse pleasure from the death and destruction, you kinda sorta wish there was a little more blood?”

He stood. “Enormous Pit Bulls! With teeth—and rabies—and that like to gnaw the arms off small people!”

She gave a jump. “Alright, alright, no need to be size-ist.”

“Remove yourself from my doorway.”

She smiled again. “I can see that you’re busy.” At last, she walked away, but within half a second, she was there again, poking her perky blond head inside his office. “Also, I’ll be back later tonight—because I’m here for you, and you’ve still got such a long way to go, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Locks! Signs! A moat if I have to dig it myself!”

“Okay, now you’re just being silly.”

"Remove yourself!"

"Right-o."

For God's sake—she winked at him. Winked at him.

This had to stop.

Today.