Author: Melissa (mamc031282)

Spoilers: None, totally AU…

Rating: PG…? Maybe a little suggestive, but not much to worry about.

Notes: This kind of came up in a live journal comment, courtesy of Writerpuppy and at first I kind of thought it was impossible, but suddenly it clicked, and this happened. Hope you enjoy. This is total fluff, be warned, and it's unbeta'd, so that might well be two strikes against me. For those Canadians out there, we're still under the thumb of our beloved Chrétien. Everything about Ottawa is true, with no need to improvise – our transitways and underground routes to the various buildings on Parliament Hill are all true as are the reasons as to why we have them. If you have any interest in learning more about Winterlude visit http/www.canadascapital.gc.ca/winterlude/index.asp?bhcp1. Beaver Tails have a website of their own too: http/ To Jayne, who has dealt with Ottawa winters like a pro, even though it meant almost -50c temperatures in an apartment that barely had heating.

Winter Wonderland

Walking along side Leo, watching the Canadian Prime Minister continue his moderately incomprehensible diatribe about the beauty that was the Gatineau Hills in the winter, CJ wondered if everything about the city of Ottawa was maze-like.

After all, on the drive from the airport, the motorcade had left regular roads quickly and was suddenly on something called a transitway. The theory (a bus-only highway) was good – it meant that they didn't have to worry about getting trapped in traffic gridlock and she was certain that the secret service preferred the relative safety of the tunnels and high-walled roadways – but the practice of it was frustrating.

Other than driving under a mall, which was the only real sign of people on their trek into the city, there had been nothing other than city buses for as far as the eye could see; by the time they had reached Parliament Hill, CJ had grown so tired of the red and white maple-leafed buses that she contemplated borrowing Leo's crossword puzzle to distract her.

"They call this the 'Star Wars Tunnel'," Leo whispered to her, pointing to the pale pink marbled walls and the inoffensive grey carpeting which eerily resembled something out of the George Lucas epic.

"Creative," she mumbled, still miserable about being stuck inside and away from any sign of outside life.

"If they weren't enjoying a warm snap right now, you'd be appreciative of this," Toby grumbled from beside her.

"Warm? The radio said it feels like -21," CJ snapped, her glare enough to make it feel ten degrees cooler in the underground tunnel.

"It's not uncommon for the temperature to dip down to -48 with wind-chill here," Toby added, pleased that he had read the information on the weather channel website. It seemed only fair after the torture CJ had inflicted upon him during their most recent trip to Amsterdam that he would impart some variety of useless knowledge to her.

"The tunnels are to protect the staff here at The Hill from the elements," the Prime Minister contributed, obviously having been distracted from his other lecture, and moving on to the new topic. "After all, Madame Cregg, rain, snow and ice can be tricky to maneuver, and you want to always be presentable when you get to where you're going."

"Of course, Mr. Prime Minister," CJ smiled, nodding humbly. Leave it to her to have yet another geek to lecture her, but this geek barely spoke comprehensible English, his thick French accent masking many of the words and requiring some degree of translation. It was times like this CJ wished she had paid attention during her French classes so she could at least decipher alternating words.

"I'd imagine during the Ice Storm several years ago you had quite the usage of these tunnels," Jed joked, pleased that he had done his homework on the city's recent history.

"I've been here for many winters, and there's nothing like the wind off the Rideau River in early February." The older man nodded his head and smiled as if he were keeping an inside joke to himself.

As the Prime Minister turned his attention back to the President, Leo let his hand seek out hers to get her attention. "I hear these things also lead to one of the world's largest outdoor malls too."

Always a sucker for a well planned commercial centre, CJ smiled. "I have to admire a city that understands the importance of shopping."

"I thought you would," Leo quietly teased.

"Does this mean I might be able to break loose and enjoy myself for a while?" The almost grin on her face was enough to tell Leo that CJ was indeed getting anxious and more than a little stir crazy.

"We have three more meetings, and a photo op, but as soon as that's done, and we've tucked the President in for the evening, I promise we'll sneak away." They had hardly had time to spend together since the relatively last minute announcement of their impending trip to Canada, and Leo knew that what CJ really needed more than anything was some time away from the secret service and the constant stress that seemed to follow them.

"I don't have to be there when you tuck him in, do I? Because I have a suite at the Chateau Laurier just begging for me to soak in the hot tub and it sounds much more inviting than the President's bed," CJ whispered, leaning towards Leo.

Leo tried not to choke on his laughter, which caught him by surprise. He sometimes forgot that CJ enjoyed a good jab, and she enjoyed his reaction more as she got to know him better. The flushing of his cheeks or the way his hands would immediately shoot into his pockets were just some of the things he did, and the reaction was always worth the potential for embarrassment on her part.

"Now, we'll head in to centre block and we'll stop at the painting of Queen Victoria – that painting has been saved from this building 3 times now, each time being carefully escorted from the building despite impending danger…" The two bodyguards who were escorting the Prime Minister snickered. Obviously this was the nickel and dime tour, and they had been on it many times before.

"I can't believe you managed to get us out of there. And at a reasonable hour to boot!" CJ marveled as Leo led her through the grand entrance hallway at the Chateau. The area, decorated in gold and rich creams, was bustling with traffic, even in the early evening hours.

"Well, it's amazing what can happen when the First Lady does a surprise visit," Leo said, pleased that he had managed to wriggle his way out of a night of policy bouncing with Toby.

"She should swing by more often on foreign visits – it would give us more of a working holiday." CJ bravely reached over and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in her own. She felt relatively secure in the knowledge that no matter who might see them, the odds of them being recognized were quite slim. The only people who knew them were in strategy meetings or otherwise distracted, and it was hardly unusual to see a woman holding a man's hand. They blended in—something for which CJ felt both immediately relieved, and equally terrified. She and Leo had never been just another couple. "What's first?" She asked, trying to shake off the case of the jitters that suddenly managed to overcome her.

"Dinner. In the Byward Market. The lady at the reception desk told me of a few great places to go for dinner. I narrowed it down to one tantalizing restaurant." His trademark grin lit up his face; Leo was quite obviously proud that he had done his homework and had prepared a proper date for them.

"What kind of food?" Intrigued that he had managed to take the time to plan something for them, CJ hoped that in typical Leo fashion he'd take her some place wonderful.

"The edible kind," he said teasingly. CJ wasn't good with surprises, which he attributed mostly to her job, but that didn't stop him from periodically doing something that would catch her off guard.

"That's a good start, but I'd kill for some really good comfort food."

Leo knew CJ's idea of comfort food – lots of carbs and starches. "Then it's probably good we're going for Italian, then, isn't it?"

CJ smiled, before she stopped him and whispered into his ear. "You realize, you play your cards right, and you might even wrangle an invitation up to my room at the end of the night."

He shook his head, as if to admonish her. "Whatever happened to making me work for it," he joked.

"Oh, don't worry; I'll make you work for it," she assured him. How he managed to pull together the evening out she wasn't sure, but CJ most definitely appreciated it, and planned on making the most of the time.

Leaving the small restaurant, CJ was pleasantly surprised by the bustle of the city around her. There were people heading in every which direction and the streets were lined with an exquisite glow from the signs from the local pubs and restaurants. Tiny shops run by artisans displayed hand made creations, and buskers lined the street, strumming their guitars happily.

Of course the novelty wore off, as CJ realized that she could see her breath before her, and her lungs were starting to ache. "It's too cold," CJ whined. "How are all these people walking around like it's a normal temperature?" Looking back at the energetic buskers, she wondered how they managed not to freeze to death, standing outside ungloved, and exposed for hours on end.

Leo laughed. "Because it is?"

Shooting him a glare, CJ came to an abrupt halt. "Dinner was great, but I'm freezing…If I stay out here much longer, I'm gonna freeze and someone will have to come 'round to chisel me out of a block of ice."

Pointing to a tent-like building on the corner which doubled as a sales area, Leo wondered if CJ would kill him for his suggestion. "We could pick up a hat and a scarf, and even mitts if you want – he's got probably a thousand different ones, and I know they're not designer, but we only get one night in this city," he said convincingly, obviously winning her over by the time he finished his suggestion.

"I can't believe there's a vendor, standing outside in this, selling stuff," CJ remarked, though secretly she was quite pleased by the discovery. The thought of having to venture into the gigantic mall just across the street worried her.

"Well, I do believe it's traditionally a little colder than this, so…"

"Smart ass," CJ grumbled, as she made her way to the open-air vendor. Warmth pretty much negated her usual tendency to buy things with a designer label. In what felt like sub-arctic temperatures, she would deal with some quaint hand-knitted additions to her wardrobe.

Smiling at the man, she started rummaging through the stacks and made quick business of finding a set. When the man told her it would only be twenty dollars, she nearly jumped for joy – not only was it warmth, but it was inexpensive warmth. "I should do my Christmas shopping here," she told Leo as he escorted her down the street.

"Well, you could, but don't you think the money you save would be cancelled out by the cost of flight, a hotel, and time off?"

"Maybe, but it'd be a different experience," she reminded him.

"In the summer, the streets are full of vendors, apparently and driving in the Market is hell," Leo told her, expelling some of the knowledge he'd picked up from the brochures at the front desk of the hotel.

"Did you research before you got here?"

Leo shrugged the comment off, but apparently she wasn't going to let it go because she gave him a jab to the ribs with her elbow.

"Ok, ok, I read up a little bit while I was waiting for you to finish reading through your faxes," he confessed. "But it was only because I wanted to find us something to do."

That he put so much effort into their evening was enough for CJ to appreciate it. She never would have pegged him for a traditional romantic, but after a few dates it became evident that he was a softie. Leo may not always remember an important date, or a silly event, but it wasn't because he didn't care – it was just that he had a consuming job, and CJ could understand that.

Her ability to understand his job and the lifestyle that came with it was a fact that put their relationship leaps and bounds ahead of the one he shared with Jenny. "Well, you did very well. If I ever have to be trapped somewhere in sub-arctic temperatures, I want it to be with you," she joked.

"Well, you might just hate me for what we're gonna do next." His hands found their way quickly into his pockets while he contemplated coming up with a new plan for the night. When he couldn't immediately think of anything more romantic or unique than what he had planned, he decided to just take the chance. At her nervous expression, Leo sighed before he apprised her of his plans. "I thought we'd walk on the canal," Leo said sweetly, guiding her across the road and along a path. The traffic was heavy, and it made him wonder if maybe he was heading in the wrong direction. After all, he had to somehow find their destination with no first hand knowledge of it and cars whizzing past at 50 kilometers an hour didn't bode well. Still, the woman at the restaurant had assured him that he couldn't miss it.

"Walk on the canal?" The expression she offered him was one that was clearly torn between apprehension and confusion.

"The Rideau Canal."

"Uh…" CJ looked at him, stunned by what he had planned for them to do next. "You intend for us to walk on a canal?"

"It's frozen," he assured her, though the look of skepticism on her face proved that he might need to provide her with proof. "People skate on it all the time." Finally eyeing the stairs that led to the canal, he felt a wave of relief. They had indeed found it, and now all he had to do was convince her that it was perfectly safe. Leading her towards a makeshift metal stairwell, Leo laughed. "Think of it this way – there are hundreds of people skating on there, and not one sign of a frozen arm sticking up through the ice."

His comment earned him a slap on the arm, which he had expected, and a glare. "Not funny, Leopold." But CJ quickly forgot that she was nervous about the ice when they stepped down on to the smooth, pristine surface and saw the lights which trimmed the trees and various buildings in nearest proximity.

"It's beautiful," she managed, astounded that in the middle of the city they had walked onto a giant outdoor skating rink.

"It's a pretty big deal around here – I'm not sure if it still is, but I read somewhere that this was the world's largest outdoor skating rink. They maintain it regularly and people actually skate to work on it." Guiding her towards him and away from the steps, he smiled at the sight of her in her new hat, and the scarf wrapped around her long neck. "So, can we go for a walk?"

"We're not going to skate?"

Leo shook his head, determined that he wasn't going to skate.

"But there's a skate rental right there, and we could partake in the whole Ottawa experience," CJ pouted, hoping that she could break his resolve. Though she hadn't skated in many years, she was certain it had to be like riding a bike. How could she forget?

"Do I look like I know how to skate?" Leo realized the instant that the words left his mouth that he had been asking for trouble with that statement. There were so few good saves from that, that he considered just conceding defeat and going over to the skate rental – it would likely be less painful than trying to dig himself out of the hole he'd just fallen into.

"And how does one look if they know how to skate?" She stared him down, daring him to tell her what he had been thinking.

"Beautiful and stunningly graceful?" It was the only save he could come up with, even though if he had been honest, his response would have been more to the tune of: 'something like the Ottawa Senators? Big, hefty guys with no teeth?' That, certainly, would not have gotten him even to first base and though that wasn't his only concern, it definitely was rating higher and higher.

"Good save, Leo. Good save."

"I try," he said sweetly, thinking he'd won the war.

"You do, which you get credit for. But you should try skating too," she said, hoping to trick him into conceding.

"And spend the rest of the night in absolute pain from having impaled myself on my skate?"

"Trust me Leo, you're not that flexible that you could, and I'll help you stay upright." Suddenly the idea of joining the others that were gliding along the frozen bed of water was considerably more appealing.

Looking wounded, Leo hoped that he wouldn't totally embarrass himself. "Just remember that you're the one that insisted."

"I will, and I'll even pretend that you put up a fight," she joked.

The first few steps on the skates were more like stumbling than steps, and the few that followed bore striking resemblance to Bambi on ice. Even though CJ remembered what she was supposed to do, she was shaky on the skates, not quite used to the way her feet moved in the stiff leather confines. Leo, on the other hand, was only managing to stand upright by using the skates more like shoes, lifting each foot up and taking exaggerated, slow steps.

"It's actually only skating if you glide on the blades, Leo," CJ reminded him, as her memory as to how to do it came back to her.

"Glide? I'm more worried about throwing my back out," he growled, not sure if it was the skates or the ice that worried him more.

Taking his hand more firmly in hers, CJ began to skate forward, and Leo, grudgingly, dragged after her. "Let's go."

Feeling more than a little bit nervous about the idea of skating, Leo had no choice but to follow. "Has anyone ever died while skating?"

"What?" CJ laughed, amused by his question.

"Has anyone ever…I don't know…died due to an unfortunate incident while skating?" There was no way to hide the concerns he had about skating.

When he used to take Mallory to her lessons, he had watched her fall dozens of times, only to stand, crying and angry. She usually dragged herself back out on the ice after a minute or two of sitting on the bench, but kids were resilient, and he wasn't quite so sure he could say the same about himself.

"Give it up," CJ laughed. "Just let go, and you'll see."

Finally, knowing he didn't really have a way around it, Leo tried to stop worrying and just start skating.

The next few long strides along the ice were a little shaky, but not bad over all.

"See?" CJ pointed out. "Was that so horrible?"

Leo shook his head, but continued to concentrate. He had a phobia of making a fool out of himself, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do it. "I'll have you know that it was – I've seen my entire life pass before my eyes, and every foot forward feels like another year of my life I'm losing," he grumbled, though secretly he was pleased he had stood up that long.

"As long as I feature in the mini-series of your life, you're fine," she smiled, moving a little faster. As he kept pace with her, she grinned. "And you're not doing so badly on the skates – keep this up and I might actually think you're enjoying it."

Leo concentrated on the next few attempts at moving forward, noticing that she had sped up the pace. "We'll stop up there at those shanties for something warm to drink, right?"

CJ nodded, before linking her arm more firmly with his and leading him on into the night and along the blue-hued canal.

"You can't seriously expect me to eat that, can you?" CJ looked up at the sign that said 'Beavertails' in deep red and green font.

"It seems to be an integral part of the whole Winterlude experience," Leo pointed out, as the line behind them grew longer by the second.

CJ blanched at the thought of eating any part of a beaver's anatomy. "But it's a beaver tail…"

The older couple in front of them must have heard CJ whine, because a series of snickers managed to escape them before the older woman turned back and smiled sweetly at CJ. "It's a pastry, dear. It's a pastry with different toppings."

CJ forced a smile, as if to say, 'of course, I didn't expect it to be a real beaver' but the damage to her pride was done. "Thank you," she said quietly, feeling more than a little regret about so loudly broadcasting her concerns.

"There's a chocolate one," Leo pointed out, watching a child skate off with a long wheat pastry covered in thick chocolate goop.

The promise of chocolate certainly helped her pride heal a bit, though she still squinted, trying to read the sign on the wall beside the window from which they were serving. Sure enough, once they got close enough to read the sign, it cleared it up. It was indeed a pastry, and there were a dozen flavors available. That's all she needed to know before she started planning which one she wanted.

"So, which one do you want?" Leo smiled, noticing that she was obviously warming up to the thought of it.

"Chocolate hazelnut," she said, watching him as she tried to decide for himself. He was cute when he was thinking, CJ realized. Not that he wasn't always cute, but somehow, just when she thought he couldn't make her feel any more in love, she'd look at him and suddenly her heart would swell.

"Maple," he decided, before leaning towards her and whispering in her ear. "Do you think they'd let us get a bottle of that sauce stuff to take home," he asked, gesturing towards the condiment bottle full of think chocolate sauce which they used to cover the pastry.

"Probably not, but I bet I can figure something out," she offered, before she moved the final couple of steps forward to place their order.

Leo looked at all the people in front of them who had managed to pick up their beavertail from the counter and skate their way over to the picnic tables further up the canal. He had no clue how they could have such great balance; there they were, holding a warm pastry covered in thick sugary paste, and often times a hot chocolate or otherwise in the other hand, and they managed to effortlessly find their way to a seat.

"Earth to Leo…which one do you want to carry?"

He snapped back to reality. "Sorry?"

"Which of these things do you want to carry? The drinks or the beavertails?" Leo looked at her, and then realized that their order was ready. "The drinks," he said, picking up the tray and trying to pry himself off of the snowbank that he had wedged his skates in to in an effort to stand up right.

CJ just nodded, grabbing the pastries in her hands and whizzing off to the table as Leo stood there and wondered if he could somehow propel himself without landing on his backside, probably scalded by hot chocolate.

Finally, hoping that the laws of motion would somehow work in his favor, he forced himself to send himself toward the table. Once he gained momentum, he was fine, but then he realized the harder part would be stopping.

CJ had said something about using his toes to stop, but the idea of putting his toe down and hoping his body wouldn't spin out of control or forward didn't strike him as a good one, so instead he tried to slow down. Of course, without putting his toe forward, he wondered if he could slow down.

Seeing the picnic table virtually beside him, Leo tried to turn, sending himself into some what of a spiral, as he skated in small circles.

CJ, who initially found it all too funny that her lover was in an uncontrolled 'spin', decided that the kind thing to do would be to bail him out. "You're going to make yourself sick if you keep spinning like that," she said sweetly, as she took a hold of his waist and pulled him towards her, at the same time thrusting her toe into the ice and taking hold.

They came to an abrupt stop and CJ just smiled as she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Come on, we've got to try those things before they freeze solid," she warned him, leading him back to the table and helping him get seated.

It all happened so quickly. From out of nowhere, Leo felt something rush into his legs and suddenly all sense of balance was gone and he began the longest freefall of his life.

CJ wasn't sure what happened, but the conversation abruptly stopped and Leo let go of her hand. When she looked over, Leo was careening towards a snow bank at the edge of the canal and a small bundle with a face swirled near her ankles.

Frantic parents skated towards the lump which was now wailing from its spot on the ice.

"Leo?" CJ panicked when she saw him making no effort to stand, his body still in the snow bank, though no longer face first in the snow. Racing to the edge, CJ knelt down beside him. "Leo? You ok?"

Opening his eyes, he looked up at her and saw sheer panic written across her features. "I think we'll have to head back."

"Are you all right?"

"Fine, but I think skating is too dangerous," he mumbled, secretly vowing never to do it again.

"Are you hurt?" She continued to check him over, as she worried he might have hurt himself. He was too stoic to tell her even if he was badly hurt.

"I said I'm fine," he snapped, before realizing that he sounded much colder than he had intended. "I'm fine," he repeated more gently, his hand reaching up to touch hers. "But I really don't think I will ever skate again."

"Well, the whirling bundle of terrible-two was pretty hard to anticipate," CJ laughed, relieved that he was in tact and relatively unscathed.

"That's what hit me?"

CJ nodded, noting his rather strained expression.

"If anyone ever asks, can we say it was a teenager, or something? Anything but the truth?" Smiling, Leo extended his hand.

"Sounds good," she agreed, before standing and taking his hand, helping him back up to his feet. "Do you want me to skate ahead and return your skates so we can walk back?"

Leo thought about it for a moment, debating his answer. "If you promise to watch out for kamikaze two year olds, then I can make it back," he insisted.

She could have sworn she saw him do a double-take over his shoulder, probably checking for any more children headed straight towards them. "Promise," she smiled, wrapping her arm tightly with his. "And when we get back to the hotel…"

"CJ," Leo interrupted quickly. "I'm having a hard enough time staying up right, with out all the blood flowing to the wrong places," he told her quietly.

"Throwing off your balance, there, Leo?" Grinning, she just let the rest of her thought wait, knowing that when they got back to the hotel they would figure out a more than adequate way to keep the rest of their night entertaining.

Stumbling into the hotel room, CJ couldn't help but smile when Leo almost darted to the bed. "Hey, you planning on going to sleep on me already?"

Leo looked up from the spot on the bed as he toed off his shoes. "I don't think I can bend," he pointed out.

"Who said you had to be able to bend," she asked, smiling sweetly. "Sometimes we can make exceptions."

Leo laughed, before wriggling his way across the bed. "Tonight of all nights, I'm not sure it's a good idea to have this discussion. I might end up injuring more than my hip and my pride."

"And we wouldn't want that," CJ said, as she joined him on the oversized bed. Resting her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. The evening had been pretty perfect, save for the attack from the two-toothed skating wonder, and more relaxing than any they could have had in Washington. They were free to be themselves in public, instead of maintaining their public personas.

"You're awfully quiet," Leo said, wondering if there was a reason she had suddenly quieted.

"Just thinking about how great it was to be totally unknown. Do we have to join the motorcade tomorrow?" Looking up, she hoped that if nothing else, he'd stay the night and hold her. One more night of being anonymous, and not having to worry about press leaks seemed totally idyllic.

"Twenty hours in Canada?" Grinning, he brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face.

"Are you complaining? As long as we don't go skating again, there's very slight chance of bodily harm."

"You didn't think there was much chance of being wounded while skating, and look…" Taking a deep breath, he stopped for a moment and thought about how much he had enjoyed their evening, and how much he wished it could last forever. "I think I could tolerate twenty hours in Canada. I mean, as long as you're here to defend me."

"Just what every woman wants," CJ joked. "A man who needs to be defended and coddled."

"It's our own version of a fairytale," Leo countered, though he decided not to point out that if it were a real fairytale, her Prince Charming would be much younger and healthier, and less of a workaholic with so many bad habits.

"In our very own winter wonderland?"

"Something like that," he agreed, bringing her closer to him.

He'd spend the night, and they would just hold each other, knowing that opportunities to lie in bed together were so few and far between that they had to enjoy the time they could get. Other than channel surfing and trying to avoid the dozens of Francophone channels, they spent most of the evening laughing about their evening about the town.

As midnight struck, they turned out the lights and curled snuggly into each other, both happily looking forward to the not so distant future, when they could enjoy every day like they had the one just finished.

"Good night," he mumbled just as he felt himself beginning to fall asleep. Leo still hadn't let go of her, instead holding her snuggly against him.

"'Night."

Falling asleep in each other's arms, there was no doubt that they would return to Ottawa, if not to skate on the canal but to revisit the first real 'vacation' they had enjoyed as a couple. It truly was their very own winter wonderland.