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.

"Mr. President?" said Charlie. "Vice President Hoynes."

"John, thank you for coming in today."

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"There are just a couple of things that have come out recently that we need to talk about."

"That woman at the Journal needs to get a real job before her paper gets sued. She printed a ton of pictures of me with people that never claimed I so much as kissed them, and implied that I'd done something wrong!"

"Are you saying you didn't?"

"I'm not saying I haven't done some things I'm ashamed of, but... hell, some of those are men!"

"Yeah, I heard from a couple of those."

"Are they making some kind of charges? Because, damn it, I've got a right to confront my accusers!"

"You can confront one... no, two of them, any time you want to walk down to the briefing room. John, how do you not notice when you break a woman's arm?"

"There was a lot going on at the time. Hey, C.J. didn't sound like she held a grudge!"

"When? Last night on the phone? Or when it happened? You did talk about it back then, didn't you?"

"She didn't give me the chance. She left, right... after."

"Without saying goodbye?"

"Without saying anything. She picked up her stuff and left."

"And you took that as a sign of, what? Satisfaction with the encounter?"

"How should I know what a woman's thinking?"

"Do you know where she went?"

"No."

"Do you care?"

"Is there something you'd like to tell me about this? Because I really don't know what happened to her after she left my room."

"All right, what about the phone call?"

"What phone call?"

"At twelve seventeen this morning, you called C.J. and asked her to say her injuries at your hands were accidental."

"Excuse me?"

"At least that's the time the phone company gave us."

"You asked for my phone records?"

"Hers. This is your number, right?"

"You had no right...!"

"Live with it, and don't call her again. If you want to talk to C.J., do it in the briefing room in front of the cameras and let the press corps get the truth."

"The White House Press Corps is not exactly a neutral audience. Did you see them this morning?"

"I saw it."

"Can you at least dial her down a little bit? I'm in a presidential campaign, here!"

"No, you're not."

"Excuse me? You think I'm dropping out over this nonsense?"

"I haven't seen the numbers yet, but I imagine you're polling in the low single digits about now."

"Yeah? Well, who else is there? Your fair-haired boy from the California 47th? Slept with a hooker, and introduced the hooker to your wife. McGarry's a dope addict. First time he has to pull an all-nighter, he'll be popping the pills. Bingo Bob? Western Colorado Mining can't make that big a donation, and no one else has ever heard of him. I know you're not crazy enough to think you can elect your pet Jew. Face it, Jed, it's me or a Republican."

"Yes, and the last time things got tough you walked away and left it for a Republican to clean up, and don't believe they're not going to rub your nose in that!"

"I resigned because...."

"I was here, John. I was sitting behind that desk, and that's a place you're never going to be. If I had my way we'd seal you in a cage in the zoo for people to gawk at along with all the other animals, and when they'd had enough, we'd pare the flesh from your bones with a vegetable peeler. If I can manage it, you're going to get some first-hand experience with the conditions in federal prisons, but even if that doesn't happen, you're never going to stand in this room again. Do you understand me, John? We will find someone to run against you, because you are not fit to ask for the respect the people of this country give their leaders!"

Bartlet was physically shaking when he stopped speaking. Hoynes almost smiled.

"Well," he said, "I guess this is goodbye, then." He turned and walked out the door, leaving the president still quivering with rage.