As the cab driver pulled up to the sign that marked the beginning of the Lee District of the George Washington National Forest she knew that this had been a bad idea. Actually, she knew it was a bad idea the minute she got his phone call and agreed to meet him. He was standing near one of the trees; his jacket draped on one arm and tie loosened enough to make him look very casual. Too casual, she added mentally as she paid the cab driver.
"This better be good, Danny, or this time I am really going to have to kill you." She slammed the taxi door shut.
"It is don't worry." Danny smirked. He didn't say anything more until he saw the driver turn the corner. "C'mon" He motioned, making his way into the trees.
"Danny, where are we going?" She hesitated before she followed him. He led her to a clearing in the trees. "What is all this?" She questioned, looking around. There were two wooden benches separated by a fire pit that was filled with a pile unburned wood. She did not think the sight was too alarming until her eyes fell on the tent that was pitched in the left corner of the clearing.
"Welcome to the great outdoors, C.J., we're camping."
"No, we are not camping; I'm calling a cab…" C.J. searching her pockets for her phone.
"It's no good to look for it; I had Mandy take your phone and pager." Danny went inside the tent for a second and brought out a large burlap sack.
C.J. sighed; "you never give up, do you?"
"Nope." He pulled out four bottles of water, a lighter, a bag of marshmallows, several chocolate bars, and a box of graham crackers out of the bag.
"What did you pack your whole office in there?" C.J. sat down on one of the benches and folded her arms in front of her.
"No, but I did bring Goldfish." Danny lifted a small box of her favorite snack crackers from the bag.
"My hero" C.J. snipped, she couldn't help but think of the stack of papers that she had left in her office to read.
"Why don't you stop thinking of all of the work you have and instead think of all of the hard work I put into setting this up for you?" Danny suggested, reading her mind, as always.
"Thanks, you're a real sweetheart." C.J. commented, almost meaning the statement. "But I do have a job, you know.
"I took care of it." Danny looked up at her, giving her the best guilt look that he could manage.
"Fine, whatever, I'll stay, but I'm blaming you if I get bit by any mosquitoes" C.J looked down at her feet.
"Do you want some Goldfish?" Danny offered.
She nodded, almost snatching the box from him.
"Thanks," she smirked, grabbing a hand full of crackers and then handing them back to him.
"So do you know how to light a campfire?" Danny questioned, looking over at the pile of logs.
"No, but Sam does, and if you would just let me use your phone to call him…." C.J. started but Danny shook his head.
"Oh no you don't, I'm calling Sam." He scolded, plucking his cell phone out of his pocket and dialing a number that C.J. didn't even know he had.
"Hey Sam, its Danny, how do I light a campfire?" Danny asked, looking over at the pile of wood again.
"Sam! Help! Danny is holding me hostage in the middle of a pest-infested wood!" C.J. called, hoping that she had been loud enough for Sam to hear her.
"Sam says you need to take a break." Danny told C.J., holding the phone away from her. "Now tell me how to make this thing, Sam."
C.J. watched as Danny built a triangle of wood for the fire, clutching onto the phone.
"All right so one goes on top…okay thanks, Sam." Danny shut his phone and put it back into his pocket.
"Nice job." C.J. giggled, looking at the lopsided pyramid of wood that Danny had managed to put together.
"Hey, I'm a writer, cut me some slack." Danny laughed along.
When they had both stopped chortling, C.J. looked over at the pile of food Danny had brought.
"So are you going to make me a S'more?" She motioned to the pile.
"Sure, sure."
They sat on the bench together, Danny roasting the marshmallow and C.J. watching.
"Don't burn it!" C.J. exclaimed when the tiny white treat caught on fire.
"Here, blow." Danny lifted the marshmallow a few inches in front of her. C.J. looked over at Danny and then back at the flaming thing in front of her. She blew it out easily enough, but the marshmallow was still scorched.
"See, look what you did, you burnt my marshmallow." C.J. chuckled, talking the marshmallow off of the poker and sliding it and a piece of chocolate in between two graham crackers.
Suddenly, she realized that she probably shouldn't have asked for the S'more. It was all over her hands, and, even though she couldn't see it, probably her mouth as well. She grabbed the napkin off of the bench and wiped her hands and her mouth, hoping that Danny would eat one too so that she didn't look like the only idiot with melted marshmallow all over the place.
"You missed some." Danny pointed out, motioning to the side of her lip.
C.J. moved her hand up to where he pointed and rubbed as hard as she could to find the piece of marshmallow that she had left behind.
"You still didn't get it." Danny noted.
She could not let this happen. But before she knew it, he had kissed her.
When he drew back she saw the grin on his face and she didn't even need to ask the question that came out of her mouth next.
"There was nothing on my face, was there?"
"Nah, I just felt like since you haven't grabbed me and kissed me in a while that I needed to remind you why you like me so much."
"And why is that again?" She asked coyly.
"Because I'm handsome, I like to kayak, and I bought you a fish?"
"Well the fish is nice…" She began.
He kissed her again, this time with a touch of ferocity that she would never imagine Danny capable of if she didn't know him as well as she did. Even when she kissed back she made a mental note to kill him as soon as they got back to the White House.