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.

Walken pushed his plate away, his appetite gone. The men around his table tossed down napkins and cutlery in disgust.

"Do you believe that?"

"What were they thinking? They just let her get away with it!"

"Whoa, whoa!" said Walken. "Let her get away with... what?"

"Homewrecking? Fucking around with a married man?"

"Jesus, Allen, is that what you got out of that?"

"We can still use it." All eyes were on Walken. "Glenn? We can make something out of this, right?"

"We can make something out of the Democrats running a rapist for president, yeah."

"We can't prove that, but the silly little whore just admitted having an affair with him. It's better for us if...."

"Is it?" He stood up, towering over them even after they rose to their feet. "Maybe it is. You guys are the experts on putting a Republican in the White House. Just don't forget that you're not the ones who put me there. A Democrat did that, and you know what? While you were steering me into a political minefield and standing back to watch the fireworks, that lady there did her level best to help me navigate it, and you know what else? While you're in my house, don't you dare call her anything but a lady! John Hoynes ought to be horsewhipped for cheating on his wife and hanged for beating on women he called himself loving, and we can make all kinds of hay out of that, but if you sling mud at the people he hurt, you're going to find out just how much life there still is in me! Now all of you get the hell out of my sight before I turn the dogs on you!"

The bullpen cheered as C.J. walked through. Donna kissed her, Josh hugged her, and Toby leaned against a wall and admitted that she hadn't done too badly.

Danny stood in her office doorway, arms crossed over his chest, and waited. She planted a hand in the center of his chest and gave him a playful shove backwards.

"How did you get back here?" she asked.

"I work back here now."

"You work on the other side of the building."

She closed the door behind them, then closed her blinds. Cries of glee rose outside.

"I came back to reminesce."

"Yeah?"

Ignoring the raucous cheers coming through the door, she grasped his red silk tie as if it were a rope and reeled him in hand over hand until his body was pressed against her. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers. Now the bullpen was chanting: "Dan-ny! Dan-ny!"

"You have supporters," C.J. whispered.

"Nice to be a crowd-pleaser."

"Do they sound pleased to you?"

"You want to really get them started?"

"How?"

He grasped her shoulders and pushed her against the door so that it thudded against its frame. From outside came squeals of delight and a wave of applause.

"God," she said, "we work with perverts!"

"You work with perverts. I work all the way on the other side of the building."

She laughed.

"Danny, once when we had to get the president down to the situation room I saw your boss with multi-colored painted handprints all over her body."

"Kindergarten visit?"

"Under her bathrobe."

"Whoa!"

"Daniel, that was an official off-putting image. That means it's supposed to turn you *off*."

"You think you could borrow that paint sometime?"

"I think we need to work up to... decorating."

"Yeah? What color goes here?"

"Red."

"And here?"

"A green one over a yellow one."

"Kiss me."

"Streaky rainbow fingerprints on her cheeks, as if he couldn't help but take her face in his hands."

"Like this?"

"Oh, yeah."

"You remember this off-putting image in great detail, don't you?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

"I asked you first."

They jumped as someone knocked on the door they were leaning against. C.J. opened the door to find the hallway empty except for Leo McGarry, who was choking on suppressed laughter.

"You did good out there," he said.

"Thanks. Was there something...?"

"Dental insurance regulation proposal?"

"I saw it."

"I didn't."

"You didn't?"

"I didn't," he said, slowly and carefully. "I need to. You have it. Do you think I could see it, please?"

"Yeah, it's... it's on my desk. You want me to get it for you?"

"Please."

C.J. walked over to her desk and shuffled papers, and Leo looked from her to Danny.

"You know," he said, "it's probably not all that good for the administration when you...."

"What?"

"Scramble the Press Secretary's brains?"

"They told me it was part of the job of every Chief of Staff everywhere."

"Nobody told me that."

C.J. handed Leo a sheaf of documents, a wicked grin on her face.

"What," she said, "you didn't get my memo?"

"Uh, no?"

"Oh. I guess that explains it."

"Okay, I think I'm just going to slide on out of here about now...."

"Yeah," said Danny, "so are we."

"Where are we going?" C.J. asked.

"Early lunch," he said. "We're going for a walk in the park. Don't worry," he told Leo, "I'll bring her back without any fingerprints."

"Yeah, just don't get photographed doing anything I wouldn't do, okay?"