Standard Disclaimer, Not my characters yada yada yada. Hope you enjoy.
I noticed that in Constituency of One Jed is very clearly not talking with Abbey but in Separation of Powers Abbey says she asked Jed not to come; implying that at the very least they spoke. I figured something happened after CJ's confrontation with him on the plane in Disaster Relief. By the Benign Prerogative things seemed to be going pretty well. This story is about the personal transition behind those episodes.
This first chapter takes place immediately after 5.6, Disaster Relief.
CJ Cregg shifted her weight and unconsciously reached down and adjusted her waistband. She had come straight to Leo's office from Andrews and was anxious to get to her office so she could change out of her day old clothes before she went back to work. She mentally cataloged all that had been left unfinished, waiting at her desk before the tornado.
What a cluster. She mentally berated herself again.
She tensed as she heard familiar footsteps.
"What the hell CJ! I don't even know what to say. Don't know what to say." Leo met her eyes briefly as he entered the room but quickly returned to the folder in his hands as he navigated around her and behind his desk, continuing to lecture without looking up. "I don't need to tell you how many ways this was a screw up from the beginning and how much crap this has caused."
CJ nodded her head slightly, "Leo, trust me, I know..."
He cut her off by dropping the papers he held on to the desk and piercing her with an unforgiving eye, "Trust you? Like I trusted you when you told me 6 hours 30 some-odd hours ago?"
CJ bit her tongue and for a moment the two white house officials stared at each other in silence.
Leo broke the stare first, shaking his head. "You mismanaged it from the start CJ. You shouldn't have encouraged him to go in the first place and"
This time CJ was the one to cut Leo off, "It wasn't wrong to go Leo. No, it wasn't wrong to go. You can't blame me for trying to orchestrate a real positive presidential moment at a time when they have become far too rare around here!"
"And you did a bang up job of that!" Leo snarled.
CJ sighed and put a hand to her forehead. She wiped at some invisible dirt and her fingers lingered on her cheek for a moment before she took a deep breath and shook her head. When she spoke again it was in a quiet, defeated voice, "Look, Leo, I understand that you're pissed and you should be and I even understand that you're angry at me and that's okay too but I don't want to do this. I fought with him today and I don't want to fight with you too. I just don't have the emotional reserves."
"Well that's too bad CJ..."
She cut him off again with the wave of her hand and Leo stared at her, incredulous.
"No, really Leo. I have a ton of work left so I'm going to hole up in my office for a few hours and try to get caught up and then get a couple hours of sleep. First thing in the morning I'll be here and I will let you continue to yell at me and we can discuss how I could better force the President of the United States to do something he is dead set against. I'll be here and have that conversation then, I just can't do that now."
She paused to gauge Leo's reaction. The glare was still in his eyes but the stony lines on his face had eased. Instead of leaving then she turned her head to be sure the door was closed and took a step closer to the desk.
"Before I go I do need to say this; and not as the Press Secretary to the Chief of Staff but as CJ Cregg to Leo McGarry, Jed Bartlett's best friend..." she paused, breathing deep again.
At her last words Leo's face transformed, eyes widening and the tension slid off his face and into his posture.
"Leo, he's struggling. Zoey, Mrs. Bartlett, congress...he didn't want to leave because he felt like he was helping, he had control and was doing good. The inverse meaning that he has no sense of control here. He was running away Leo. Something I NEVER thought I would see from this man and not only does that scare me, it saddens me too. I'm not going to pretend to know him like you do or that I understand your relationship but I know he's struggling and I'm sorry that I'm over the line here but I really think he needs a best friend more than a Chief of Staff right now."
CJ bit her lip and made meaningful eye contact with Leo, nonverbally communicating her need for him to get the President back to them. Leo blinked and ducked his head, clearing his throat. CJ waited another moment than nodded and left the room with a quiet promise to be back tomorrow.
Leo dropped into his chair and brought his fingers to his lips, lost in thought. He knew CJ was right, he knew this was where they were headed months ago when he told Jed that Danny was going to post the Sharif story and Jed's eyes fixated on his wife across the room.
As the weeks passed he had seen the evidence of his friend's shaken self; meetings in the residence, papers strewn on every table. The pillow and blanket on the couch in the sitting room, evidence that the president had not been sleeping in his own bed for months. He even thought that Jed had worn the same tie every day last week. Everything screamed that his best friend had given up caring. There was no fight, no fire in his eyes.
Leo should have put a stop to it as soon as Jed told him that Bob Russell was going to be the next VP. He should have flatly demanded enough is enough and ordered CJ to put together a PR plan that would have the public demand congress confirm Berryhill given his qualifications. He should have told the DNC to go to hell and then he should have forced Jed to sit down and talk. He should have been the friend that he always claimed himself to be.
But he didn't. He thought he was helping by shielding him from a fight, smoothing the road and not forcing him to think about everything that was eating away at him. It was as if he didn't know Jed Bartlett at all.
Leo let his fist fall to the wooden desk and stood up with determination.
"Margaret!"
The red head appeared in the doorway, "Yes?"
"Have Charlie give me the first minute the president has after the German Chancellor leaves."