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.

She threw her arms around him, and for a moment he allowed himself to believe again.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "Bernard? Are you? I was so frightened."

"Don't ever be frightened for me, cherie. There's nothing they can do to me now."

"Nothing I haven't already done?"

"Don't, don't think like that."

"I'm sorry, Bernard. I shouldn't have let it come to this. I should have loved you from the start."

"You're worth waiting on."

"What happened?"

"I shouldn't have bothered with the girl. The Secret Service came looking for her just as soon as her name was in the sheriff's computer."

"It's all right, though?"

"She wouldn't know you from the Pope."

"What about you? What about the Gardner bitch?"

"Dead."

"No."

"Yes. I did it myself."

"She lived, Bernard. They brought her to D.C., to George Washington. The doctors worked on her, and she's alive."

"C.J.?"

"Hi, Mallory. What's up?"

"Nothing, much. I just thought I'd volunteer to help pick up gowns, because of, you know, the attack of motherhood."

"What attack?"

"Donna and Amy's baby? What's wrong, C.J.?"

"Momentary picture of Donna and Amy having a baby together."

"Oh, God, poor Josh!"

"Josh would be taking pictures of every... attempt."

"Probably. What, are you hitting on Josh, now, too? I mean, he and Donna...."

"I think I'm swearing off men."

"What happened?"

"You don't want to know."

"Mallory? Come on, sit down and tell me."

"There was a guy I thought I really hit it off with, but I found out he's married."

"Quentin?"

"You heard? I am such an idiot!"

"No, you're not! It's not like you're the only one! He's just such an extrovert that he doesn't realize he's leading you on, and then the rest of us have to clean up after him."

"So I'm just another piece of trash waiting to be speared and tucked away out of sight in a bag?"

"Mallory! Did you know he was married?"

"No."

"Well, then, you're miles ahead of me, aren't you?" C.J. patted her arm, and then pulled her to her feet. "Come on, let's go get gowns."