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.

"Danny, what do you think of this?"

He peered over the First Lady's shoulder at the monitor.

"A stuffed duck? Is this for the president of Estonia?"

"For Amy's baby."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess it's kind of neat. He'll have fun ripping its legs off and pulling out handsfuls of duck wadding and stuff."

"Bloody-minded male. Besides, it might be a girl."

"You can castrate ducks, can't you?"

"Danny!"

"You did say this was Amy's kid?"

"Just get me my credit card! And Danny, I need her new address!"

"We don't have it yet."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'll get right on it. Have them ship it here so you can stick a note in."

"Amy came up with better excuses, Danny."

"Yeah, but I'm cuter. I'm getting it, I'm getting it!"

"Okay," said C.J., "I can do this."

"You can do this," said Josh. "You're good at this. You're going to...."

"I'm going to get through this. I'm not going to build up expectations. If I just survive today...."

"No," said Josh.

"How no? I don't get to survive?"

"You don't get to do anything less than slam-dunk this one. Now get in there!"

They stood in front of a monitor in the Oval Office, watching the crowd mill in the press room.

"They're sharpening their swords," said the president.

"They finished with the swords an hour ago," said Leo. "Now they're putting an edge on their skinning knives."

"We could still call down and stop her. Josh could do this. You could do this."

"Yes, Mr. McGarry, can you give us the names? No? Can you tell us if you were one of the victims? What about your daughter? What about...?"

C.J. entered the briefing room, and they both fell silent. Incredibly, so did the pack of reporters she faced. No one made a sound as she walked to the podium and opened her briefing book.

"Well," she said, "I imagine you've all seen the Atlanta papers, and I expect you've got some questions for me, personally. Katie, you opened this can of worms. Do you want to start?"

"C.J., didn't John Hoynes open this can of worms?"

Nobody shouted. Nobody waved their hand in the air, or smile or laughed or even moved. They stood with their pencils poised above their notebooks and their eyes full of... something. Not what she'd expected, not the concentration of newshounds on the trail of a story nor yet the glee of those who scented the kill. It was familiar, somehow, and yet here it was unexpected. Well, enough of that.

"He was there, yeah."

Now they weren't even breathing.

"He raped you?"

"I don't believe he'd use that word."

"Would you?"

"Let's just say it's not an experience I'm anxious to repeat."

Katie nodded. Hands rose, but slowly, almost gently. What was going on? Never mind. She glanced at Danny's old seat, but there was no familiar face waiting there with an inconvenient question. One seat to the right, though, was Karen Cahill, her expression... unfathomable.

"Karen?"

"Did he break your arm?"

"Yes, although I believe there was an element of accident involved."

"And how did he react?"

"He didn't. He... ignored that aspect of the situation."

"Was he aware that he'd hurt you? That you were in pain?"

"I was certainly making an effort to communicate that, but you'd have to ask him whether he was aware of it or not."

Okay, so much for Karen. No hands in the air. This was not good. Finally, back in the fifth row, Erin Hennessy's arm slid up.

"C.J.? I'm sorry, but you had sex with this guy, right?"

"I'm sorry too, but yes."

"On the night we're discussing?"

"Yes."

"Before or after he broke your arm?"

"After."

Silence.

"Anything else? Well, then, the president expects to speak with Vice President Hoynes some time today, and we may have more on this afterward. In the meantime, if that's all you have, that's all I have."

More silence. C.J. found herself looking at Karen again, looking into eyes that were beaming.... With what? With the thrill of a good story? With laughter at C.J.'s discomfort?

No. Karen looked up at her, and smiled, and Karen's face was full of pride. Suddenly C.J. knew what was happening, knew where she'd seen the expression that dominated her briefing room.

She'd seen it on Toby Ziegler's face. It was the clobber reflex, and it was taking over the world.