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.

"Damn," said Leo. The president set down his newspaper and looked at him. "It's the trailer park thing again," Leo told him. "This time it's attached to 'a bill to regulate the trademarking of agricultural products.' To wit, onions."

"Send Josh over and find out what's going on."

"Josh is still at the hospital waiting for Amy to wake up."

"He needs to get his head out of his ass. Donna's not taking this any too well."

"He called her," said Leo. "She's better. We bought out the baby stores today, and she's going to interview nannies tomorrow."

"You went baby shopping?"

"I didn't see you piling into the Suburban to go do it. These people are going to need a ton of support. They're going to make C.J. and Danny look relationship-competent, and they've got a little girl!"

"Whom they're not going to let us raise for them, as much as we might want to."

"Who said anything about raising her for them?"

"You've never been a grandfather before. So who do we send to the Hill when we can't send Josh?"

"How's Amy?" Mallory asked Ellie.

"Oh, God, whatever you do, don't say anything to my mother about her!"

"Isn't it kind of callous not to?"

"Well, if you want to deal with Mom in tears blaming herself for not being suspicious when Amy disappeared...."

"That really doesn't seem like your mom. I mean, she hovers when there's nothing to hover about!"

"Amy told her to leave her alone. She was really upset about being pregnant. She said she wanted some privacy to deal with it."

"So why didn't she? Why didn't she, you know, deal with it?"

"She said," came a voice from the bedroom door, "that she was afraid she'd never get pregnant again." Abbey Bartlet leaned against the doorframe, the stuffed duck cradled in her arms. "She thought this might be her only chance to have a child."

"But she didn't want a baby...." said Mallory.

"She wasn't thinking clearly at that point," Ellie told her.

"And I still let her walk out of here."

"Mom, it's not your fault. What were you going to do, have her declared incompetent?"

"I should have done something." Ellie and Mallory hugged her, and Mallory could almost see her pulling herself together. "I should take the duck to Donna."

"Tomorrow," said Ellie.

"Yeah, besides, my dad said they went with the outer space theme, sheets, curtains, lamp, the works."

"For a girl?" said Ellie.

"Apparently Donna doesn't want her daughter to think there are any limits to what she can accomplish."

"Toby's the same way," said Ellie. "He wants Molly to be president."

"You guys still together?"

"Yeah. You find anybody new?"

"Have you met C.J.'s youngest brother? The teacher?"

"I did," said Abbey. "I met his wife, too."

"You sure you don't want to go out with your family?" asked Danny from his accustomed place at C.J.'s kitchen counter.

"We've got nearly three weeks, Daniel, and we all had lunch together. I have this crazy urge to spend some time with the man I'm marrying before things get really hectic."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Here, want a grape?" He ate one from her fingers, and then another and another until he worked his way down to her palm and found bare skin.

"Nice," she purred.

"I do nice really well," he said, and slid the hand inside her sweater.

"Ow!"

"C.J.?"

"Sorry. They're a little sore, is all."

"Hormones?"

She frowned.

"Shouldn't be. Nothing that'll cramp your style, anyway."

"I don't want to hurt you, if you don't feel like...."

"You know what might help? You could kiss them and maybe make it better."