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.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Mr. President."

"What's going on?"

"Sir?"

"What's going on, Leo, what do you have for me?"

"Oh, a... a forest fire in Colorado, a destroyer in the Gulf with mechanical failure that should be under weigh again in about twelve minutes and a truly strange amendment that's been attached to the wetland preservation bill."

"Okay, now what's really going on?"

"Sir?"

"Stop it, Leo. I get up this morning and before Charlie tells me what time it is he tells my wife Toby's waiting outside for her. Two seconds later she pops back in and grabs her bag; not her gym bag, that stupid black leather thing they give doctors when they graduate. She tells me nothing's going on, you tell me nothing's going on and this morning my senior staff consists of you and Josh and... and...."

"Joe, sir."

"And all of you tell me that nothing's going on. Either my wife has run away with my communications director and you're afraid to tell me, or something's going on!"

"Wouldn't it qualify as something," Josh began, "if Toby and... okay, shutting up now."

"Good move," growled the President. "Leo?"

"Mr. President, there may be a thing with John Hoynes."

"Again?"

"He seems to be prone to marital indiscretions, frequent marital indiscretions."

"Someone has made accusations?"

"No," said Josh, "and can I say that I've known this guy for a long time, and I don't believe for a minute that he's done anything wrong?"

"Except cheat on his wife?" asked the President.

"Except for that."

There was a knock, and Toby Ziegler hurried into the room.

"Sorry," he said.

"Toby, what do you know about John Hoynes cheating on his wife?"

"I believe there's more to it than that, sir."

"He's writing a book," said Leo.

"You can't tell me that man is foolish enough to brag about adultery going into a presidential election."

"This could be by way of inoculation, sir, a confessional, so to speak."

"So who are we going to endorse when he finds out what a stupid move that was?"

"That's still not all, sir."

"I thought not, since I haven't heard anything yet to account for Toby being late and C.J.... Leo?" The President's voice dropped half an octave as he made the connection. "Where's C.J.?"

"With the First Lady, sir. C.J. wasn't feeling well...."

"Are we talking indigestion, here, or...?"

"All night crying jag," said Josh. "Then she got to where she wouldn't talk at all, which may I say is stupid? I mean, even if they had kinky circus sex on the Mall, it's no big deal, right?"

"It is to C.J.," said Toby.

"When did this happen?" asked the President.

"July of 1993, sir, in Bakersfield. I think. I don't know for sure."

"And you've known about this how long?"

"Since the night it happened. She called me."

"You guys share all your adventures?" asked Josh.

"She called me to come pick her up."

"What, he dumped her by the side of the road?"

"Josh, don't push it. From the hospital, all right?"

Leo and the president stared at him.

"She said she fell downstairs."

"Do you believe that?" asked the president.

"It's what she wanted me to... accept. She never said it was Hoynes. She wouldn't tell them who she'd been with. Hell, they made me account for my time when I got there."

"Who?" asked Josh.

"The police. Hotel security called them. She was sitting in the lobby crying. She had some bruises and stuff, and a busted lip and a broken wrist."

"Her arm?" Now Josh's face had gone white. "He broke her arm?"

"We don't know who," Toby reminded him, "or how."

"There's a police report?" said Leo. "You think we should maybe get hold of that?"

"She didn't say it was him, though?" said Josh. "I mean, it could have been someone else. It really could have been the stairs, right?"

"There is that possibility," growled Leo, glaring.

"I know the guy," Josh continued, oblivious. "He wouldn't do this. He wouldn't."

"That's easy enough for him to prove," said the president. "They did a rape kit at the hospital, right? Let him cough up some DNA, and he's in the clear."

"As I understand it," Leo told him, "they both admit they had sex, and they both say it was consensual."

The president looked at Toby, who shook his head.

"Whatever happened to her that night, it was not consensual."

"We know we have the right event, right? We're not trying to hang him in someone else's noose?"

"We know of at least one other instance involving senior staff and the Vice President, sir."

"Violent?"

"No, sir. He was rebuffed and accepted it."

"I want to see that police report," the president said, "and I want to talk to this other victim, and to C.J. as soon as she's able. After that, I want to see John Hoynes."