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.

Jess looked at Tracy as she handed him the fifth draft of the First Lady's comments.

"He's in a better mood," he told her. "He'll probably sign off on this one."

"Danny thinks he's playing with his mind."

"He's got other things on his mind. Ms. Cregg is still here."

"They're keeping us all here, all behind the walls. The White House might be a fortress from outside, but it could pass for a prison if you're stuck in it."

"There are prisons, and prisons."

"Seriously, that was the neatest old house in Delaware, but when you're trying to get out of it... what?"

"You said before, you and Mr. Lyman both, that when Mrs. Hoynes gets something in her head, she doesn't let go."

"Yeah?"

"So she was trying to kill you, and Amy Gardner too, because you could identify her, or maybe for some kind of twisted revenge."

"Yeah, she was really into the death thing. She told Bernard it was better for them if...."

Jesse met her eyes, and then reached for his phone.

Will searched his mind for the name of yet another new reporter, gave up and glanced at the chart in front of him.

"Devon?" Devon looked to be about sixteen. Her blond hair was tied in a braid across the top of her head like the stereotypical German housemaid.

"Does the administration think it's appropriate," she asked, "to have C.J. Cregg's White House access continue after her employment has been terminated?"

Yeah, well, that one had been coming.

"For starters, she's on a leave of abscence. She might be back at any time, so be polite."

"Are you saying...?"

Will held up his hands.

"Ms. Cregg and her family are here at the request of the Secret Service, because the White House is the most secure facility available. If the Secret Service had solid information that a specific person--a very competent person who has already killed three people that we know of--if such a person were stalking Paul Bostitch with intent to kill, Mr. Bostitch would most likely be offered the same courtesy."

"So when they catch the guy, she's out of here?"

"Ms. Cregg is a personal friend of the Bartlets, and they're allowed to have houseguests, but I suspect she's going to be too busy to do much visiting."

The president steadied Katie on his knee.

"You're not much bigger than your sister, are you?"

"Probably heredity," said Abbey, who held Claudie in her arms. "Danny and C.J. aren't small. Also there's the fetal alcohol thing."

"I'll have to show Katie some moves, then," he said. "She'll need to know how to keep Claudie and Leonie in line." He frowned, peering at the little girl's fingers. "What are these?" he asked, tracing a scar with his fingertip down one of Katie's fingers and back up the other. "She wasn't abused on top of everything else?"

"Surgical scars," his wife told him. "She was born with webbed fingers and toes."

"Aqua-baby?"

"Don't poke fun. It's another symptom of a serious problem."

"Yeah, well, I've got some of those myself on top of a pretty stressful job, and let me tell you, sometimes laughing is all that gets you through it."