Fandom:

The West Wing AU

Pairing:

C.J./Danny

Rating:

PG-13 for topic

Distribution:

How much do I owe you for hauling it off?

Spoilers:

Up to and including Full Disclosure, from which the series follows on

Email:

exfilia at livejournal dot com

Disclaimer:

if I owned them, they'd have a lot more fun

Warning:

mentions nonconsensual sex

Note:

Hoynes lovers should probably be hitting delete right about now.

"How do you do?" said Quentin, but he didn't hold out his hand. His brothers stood slack-jawed, staring at Hoynes, who still wore the same genial smile.

"Well, thank you," he said. "Well, I... I'm glad I ran into you boys. I'm sure you've heard the exaggerations that... have been making the rounds, inside the beltway, at least. I'm glad we got a chance to meet, and that there are no hard feelings."

This time not even Quentin answered him, but Hoynes didn't give up.

"Can I get you boys anything?" he prompted.

"Sir," said Cecil in a quiet voice, "your intrusion here is ungentlemanly and inappropriate, and it would be best if you withdrew now and allowed us to forget this ever happened."

"Really?" said Hoynes, eyeing the uniforms. "I think there will come a time, Commander, after the next election, when you will remember this meeting."

"I imagine there will," Cecil said, "but for now, this meeting is over." He nodded pleasently and moved away, followed by the rest of his party, and Hoynes was left to sputter alone in a cafe in full view of the rest of Washington.

Carol forcibly quieted the butterflies in her stomach. She'd been on this platform before. She'd stood four feet from her boss when C.J. told the world the president was relieved to have a potential military conflict to focus on rather than multiple sclerosis. Forty different ways to clean that up had run through Carol's mind as C.J. fumbled and finally retreated.

No way Carol could screw up any worse than that.

She stepped up on the platform with a firm step and a smile, and read out the items in the briefing book, then asked for questions.

"Carol," asked Steve, "C.J.'s been taking a lot of personal time lately, because of the wedding and so forth. Has there been any talk of a leave of abscence?"

"There'll be a honeymoon, of course," Carol said. "After that, I can't say what C.J.'s plans are. Chris?"

"You can't say? I mean, campaign season is starting. Is there a chance she'll take a leave for that?"

"I haven't heard anything definite, but I don't see C.J. leaving the White House to work for any candidate who's been named so far. Mitch?"

Mitch Kowalsky stood in his place in the front row, his mouth open and his hand still up.

"Mitch? You okay?"

"Carol," he said slowly, "do you know of any as yet undeclared candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination?"

"They don't usually include assistants in that kind of thing, Mitch. You could ask C.J. when she gets back." She waited for the inevitable followup, but Mitch was still acting shell-shocked.

"Yeah," he said. "Thank you." And then he sat down.