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.

C.J. looked up from her desk to find Leo leaning against the frame of her door.

"What's up?" she asked. He stepped inside and closed the door.

"That fish just keeps getting bigger and bigger," he said.

"Fish do."

"Yeah. You gonna get her a bigger bowl, or something? 'Cause she's starting to look a little crowded in there."

"I guess she is."

"Yeah. You can only keep something like a fish someplace small for a little while, and then you have to let it move on to bigger things, or else you stunt it's growth."

"Leo?"

"Bear with me, C.J., okay? I think I'm the only man on the face of the earth to have to tell this to two people in a row."

"Somebody beat you to it."

"Yeah, I heard. You understand why we want to do this?"

"Who is this 'we?'"

"The Committee to Elect...."

"Don't! Just don't say it. Not yet. You think I could do this job, Leo?"

"Yes. I think you'd be very good at it."

"You're not just saying...."

"This is not something I kid about."

"Would you stay with me?"

"For as long as I can. Eventually I'll have to go to New Hampshire, and when she calls me, you know, I'm gone right then."

"That won't be for a while, though."

"Yeah, right."

"Okay, so, you think I could do this. You think we could convince anybody else?"

"In most polls that ask for a name without canned responses, you're already coming in hands down as the most powerful woman in the country."

"Tell that to Nancy McNally and Evelyn Baker Lang!"

"You get high marks for competence, for knowledge...."

"Yeah, with a briefing book in front of me!"

"Also you're pretty."

"Excuse me?"

"People come up with that, off the cuff. 'Bright, capable, pretty.' Nancy, they say, isn't pretty at all."

"Yeah? What about you?"

"I'm so ugly I'm cute."

"We actually polled...."

"It was more on the lines of 'Tell me what you know about so-and-so,' but yeah."

"Does anybody ever mention 'electable?'"

"Not going to be a problem, C.J.: if the devil ran for president against John Hoynes...."

"You ever hear of Republicans?"

"They're scared of you. That's what that was, with Walken. They want to know what they're up against. We knew he was up to something...."

"Leo, how many people know about this? I mean, can we keep it quiet for a while?"

"I've heard it from five or six. C.J., they keep coming up with it on their own. It's that obvious. You don't actually have to... you shouldn't announce until after your wedding, anyway. The longer you can keep that podium in there, the better, and you'll have to leave the minute you do announce. Until then, nobody except senior staff knows. And Abbey and Danny."

"And Glennallen Walken and the RNC."

"Right."

There was a knock at the door. Leo opened it and found Will Bailey standing outside with a cardboard box full of photographs and desk accessories.

"What are you doing here?" asked Leo.

"The Vice President sent me," said Will. "He sent me to C.J., and he said to tell her he was keeping his promise. He said she'd know what he meant."