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.

The president stepped down on the tarmac and into Sam Seaborn's arms, and it wasn't a political sort of photo-op hug, but a genuine welcome. He hugged back as hard as he could, and tousled Sam's hair when they pulled apart. That would be the picture, he thought as he moved down the line of well-wishers. Well, maybe not. Sam had just lifted Leo off his feet in a flurry of flashbulbs, and now he was inspecting the ring on C.J.'s left hand. The impression was of a family reunion, and that, thought the president, was a very positive thing.

"Should we get away from the cameras, now?" whispered Toby when they found themselves alone for a moment.

"The cameras are the whole idea," the president told him.

"It feels like they're intruding,"

"Yeah, it does, a little bit. This isn't your usual campaign stop."

"No, sir."

"Which doesn't mean we can relax past the point of good sense."

"That has been explained to me, Mr. President."

"Oh? By whom?"

"My minder," Toby said, nodding toward a glowering Donna Moss.

"Poor Donna does get the most interesting assignments. Is that why you were so wired on the plane?"

"Partly, sir."

"Let's see if we can surprise her this time, Toby. You take her someplace nice for dinner, on me."

"Sir?"

"She's an attractive girl, and I'm told she can be very good company. All I'm saying is that she maybe deserves a good time."

"I don't think Donna is overjoyed at the prospect of my company, sir."

"Yeah, but you're stuck with each other. You might as well make the best of it. Take her to dinner, Toby, and have fun."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President."

"Mr. President? Commissioner Bostitch."

"Thanks, Bruce. Paul, I've been hearing a lot about you, lately."

"I'm gratified, Mr. President, gratified."

"Please don't call me that, Paul. It bugs the hell out of me. All I did was stand there for three days while the Secret Service did their jobs."

"Which wouldn't have happened if there'd been a Republican in the White House."

"You think?"

"I know that if the rest of the world knows the full might of the United States will come down on anyone who trifles with us, there will be no trifling. Bartlet let these people get out of line, Glenn. We had to go bail the country out because of his ineptitude."

"Just out of curiosity, how are we going to convince "the rest of the world" of that?"

"I expect we'll have to make an example, or more likely several examples. It'll be no bad thing for the economy, and it'll give us an opportunity to reverse the damage that's been done to the military infrastructure."

"You're going to start a war."

"The war started a long time ago, Glenn. I'm just going to stop ignoring it. People have to learn that they can't push the United States around, and it's going to take a Republican in the White House to show them that."

"Have you ever seen a war?"

"I served in the Illinois National Guard. While we were never deployed, I was certainly ready to fight if called upon."

"Yeah."

"So, may I count on your support?"

"I'm not real sure it's appropriate for somebody who's been in the Oval Office to pick their own successor."

"Your predecessors did it frequently."

"Yeah, but they were democrats. What do they know? What I'm thinking, Paul, is that I'll stay out of things during the primaries, and then make an endorsement during the convention. What do you think of that?"

Bostitch shrugged.

"If that's the way you want to do it, sir, I don't have a problem with that."

"Well, isn't that nice?"