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.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Democratic National Committee welcomes you to the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. for this first of three debates between candidates for our nomination for President of the United States. Our participants tonight are Former Vice President John Hoynes of Texas, and Claudia Jean Cregg of... West Virginia?"

C.J. nodded. Apparently all the implications of her marriage had yet to sink in on the rest of the world. Or maybe the guy didn't know. There'd been something of a scramble to find a moderator when Hoynes demanded that it be someone who'd never worked in C.J.'s press room. On the up side, two more of the ones who were still working there had quit in frustration at Hoynes's attitude and gone to work for the campaign in their home states. If the experienced White House reporters kept doing that, Will was going to have to be certified as a day care provider.

But C.J. did not need to be thinking about that right now. She brought her attention back to the moderator.

"...the first question is for Vice President Hoynes. What makes you think you should be president?"

"I think that when you see something that could be better, you have a responsibility to correct it. When this country succumbs to seductive but disastrous foreign policy temptations that expose us to the threat of terrorist attack, when we fall back on the same futile domestic panaceas that have failed us for generations, then somebody has to stand up and say those behaviors need to change. We have to turn away from the habits that have done so much damage in the past, and I think I'm in a unique position to lead our country in that effort."

"Thank you, and now let me direct the same question to Ms. Cregg."

"I've got to say, John, I think there are some mistakes we should know better than to make in the first place...."

A wave of applause swept over the podium, until C.J. held up her hands.

"...but that's not what we're here to talk about. We should be talking about how we educate our children, and I mean everyone's children, past the third world level and how we reeducate their parents to rebuild our economy. We should be talking about foreign policy initiatives that make the world a safer place...."

"She's got him," said Leo, catching the bowl of popcorn that was threatening to tumble from the president's lap.

"Did you ever doubt it?"

"I doubt everything."

"I noticed."

"Except one thing."

"What's that?"

Leo didn't answer. The president nudged him, and asked again: "What don't you doubt."

"You. What you said, about, you know, loving me. I don't doubt that."

"Good," said the president, trying to suppress his delighted grin for fear of spooking Leo. "Now watch the debate."

He would not put his hand through the wall. He would not. John Hoynes shrugged off a bevy of aides and agents and whatever else and closed himself into his dressing room. He was in control. He could do this.

The hell he could. He swung an arm at the wall, only to have it caught by one of the interchangeable men in black who trailed him everywhere. What, the guy couldn't be bothered to get lost? John met his eyes, but didn't recognize him. Great. Right now John really needed to deal with a new man who didn't know the ropes.

"Might want to be careful where you go putting your fists," the man said in a soft Louisiana drawl.

"Excuse me?"

"You do damage," he said. "You break things. Some things you break can't be fixed no matter how hard the rest of us try."

All John's blazing anger was swept away in a cold chill.

"You're not Secret Service," he said.

"And you're not going to be president. I'd fix that if I could...."

"That's good of you."

"Not for you." The man smiled.

"Then why?"

"You wouldn't understand. Don't matter, anyway. I can't."

"Thanks, anyway."

"But I can make sure you never hurt anyone else again."