Loose the Luggage
by:
LozDisclaimer:
In my own AU I pen an intelligent, captivating TV drama...this isn't it…I'm still borrowing from Aaron.Category:
Romance, CJ/LeoSpoilers:
None or so minor you'll probably barely noticeRating:
PG-13Author's Note:
The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated. Dedicated to anyone who's been inconvenienced by an airline or a hotel. Welcome to my world of unrealistic campaign trails, the only thing based in reality is the fact it covers some of the west coast states won by Bill Clinton for his first term.~*~
"Are we there yet?" CJ deadpans from the back seat of the car.
"It's another six hours CJ." Toby grumbles over what he's working on.
"Leo we have to stop somewhere for the night." he turns and looks from the front seat at her.
"We're going straight through."
"Leo we've been awake for thirty six hours, I need to be horizontal for at least four hours out of forty eight." from the drivers seat Josh snickers and is rewarded with a hard kick in the back of his seat from CJ.
"We can't afford to."
"My treat, I'll max out my fourth credit card." she yawns for effect. "Look ten minutes to..." she squints not able to read the town's name. "Somewhere... they'll have a hotel."
~*~
"Not there, it's sixty dollars a night, we're going to be on the road in a few hours." Leo instructs Josh away from the 'Palm Valley motor lodge'. There's nothing valley about it and apparently you can call yourself Palm by placing some sick looking coconut trees out the front.
"For the love of God, please just stop somewhere." CJ bangs her head on the headrest despite a pounding headache.
"Here..." Leo points to the left.
"Welcome to six dollars a night." Toby says surveying the building.
"Least I won't have to max out my card." CJ mumbles.
~*~
It was actually twelve dollars a night and when CJ reaches her room she finds out why. She jiggles the key in the very poor lock, and it instills no confidence when it looks like someone has tried to gain illegal entry more than once before. The door is wobbly on its hinges and she can't seem to get it to close properly.
She looks at the bed from a number of angles, like a critic inspecting artwork thinking the definite sag in the middle is her tired eyes. It's no figment of her imagination; the bed sags to the middle and she guesses it's been years since someone properly cleaned the room on more than minimum wage.
She's too tired to care.
Grabbing her wallet in case twelve dollars a night doesn't include a cup and ice from the machine downstairs she intends to get something to wrap in the only towel in the room and place on her forehead for her headache. She bangs the door behind her and the noise reverberates across the whole level of rooms.
The election team are the only customers tonight as far as she can tell, so she doesn't care.
~*~
CJ sucks viciously on some of the ice as she walks back towards her room listening to a door bang somewhere in the wind that has whipped up, when she gets closer to her room she swallows the ice whole by accident as she watches her room door swing freely in the breeze.
When she pushes it open, she inspects the broken lock and the fact that the room is now in chaos and devoid of any of her possessions.
~*~
It takes about twenty solid knocks on the front door to reception before she gets a response. Draped in a navy robe is the man who checked them in and CJ yells at him for twenty minutes trying to get him to do something about her missing possessions.
She scoffs as he tells her the sheriff would have to come from the next town and at two thirty in the morning it's unlikely.
She stares in amazement at the sign on the front desk she missed before at check-in which informs guests the hotel and it's management take no responsibility for missing, lost or stolen property.
It's obvious to CJ this isn't an isolated incident.
He tells her they won't be coming back and CJ asks him curtly how he can guarantee that and not her initial safety.
CJ demands a new room and he tells her he's booked out pointing to the shadow board full of empty hooks, outside the other window he indicates to the bus parked on the back road.
She tries for a refund and the guy shuffles back a couple of minutes later putting a twenty in her hand.
"Can I keep the change?" CJ snarls.
"Whatever lady." it's too late to be dealing with irate women. "You shouldn't have come downstairs for a Coke." he says simply as CJ turns to go.
"I didn't." CJ snaps.
"Whatever, you must have left your room, cause they would have been watching from the other side of the road and waiting." CJ slams the door as hard as she can after her.
~*~
Back in her room she puts a lone chair up to the door, the lock is beyond repair in her opinion. The bed sheets are clean thankfully, as she had no intention of sleeping in her cream suit, it'll have to go on tomorrow.
The hot shower almost washes away the night.
As she crawls naked other than panties into the dip in the bed and her every muscles relaxes she thinks maybe in the morning she might apologize for being so irrational...Not likely.
~*~
CJ sleeps through Leo's soft knocking on her door at six fifteen the next morning, she doesn't see the questioning look on his face as he slides the chair along the carpeted floor to open the door a little more, or at the mangled door lock. She misses the exasperated sigh as he finds her still fast asleep.
She comes into the picture when he shakes at her naked shoulders not realizing the bare skin goes on even further.
"What time is it?" she rubs her eyes and sits up as he stands over her.
"A quarter past six." he says irritated.
"Shit." CJ curses jumping out of the bed forgetting about her distinct lack of clothing save the tiny scrap of material on her hips.
When the chill of the morning air hits her bare skin it all comes flooding back, it's a little to late as she stands in most of her glory right in front of him.
"I'll just wait outside." he says with a little uncomfortability when she jumps back into the bed pulling the sheet up under her arms only to loose her balance and fall sideways into the dipping mattress exposing her lower back.
When he's gone CJ laughs for the first time in weeks.
~*~
"Where's your bags?" Leo asks leaning against the railing, CJ can see him trying to figure out why her suit seems so familiar to him.
"I'll explain as we drive." CJ says sounding hurried.
Downstairs behind the reception the man from last night is drinking tea with the local law enforcement officer and when CJ slaps her useless key on the table, 'Walt' as the name plaque says, tells the officer, 'this is the woman.'
It takes CJ another ten minutes to file a report on stolen goods she'll never see again.
She stalks towards the car her mood worse than when they'd pulled in last night.
~*~
"I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't know you slept naked." Leo comes to stand next to her against the car outside the diner they stopped at for breakfast.
"Wasn't your fault." CJ takes another mouthful of the instant and it's not the worst thing in the last twenty-four hours.
"Did I see that suit yesterday?" he broaches the subject that has obviously been nagging him for the three hours they've been on the road.
"I had my bags stolen back in...'Criminal Town' " she makes up. "I don't usually sleep naked, I just wasn't going to sleep in the only clothes I had to wear the next day?"
"What'd you loose?" he says with concern.
"Just clothes, I had my wallet and jewelry on me, but now this is all I have to wear." she pulls at the jacket bottom.
"I'm sorry, I chose the place."
"It's Ok, I wanted to stop for the night so we're even." CJ pours the last of the brown liquid on the ground as she spots Toby and Josh coming towards them. Life would have been different if she'd taken the first car with Sam, Donna and the other assistants CJ reflects. "Let's just get there now." she sighs to no one in particular.
~*~
The Seattle hotel is five stars compared to last night's accommodation, considering it's four stars that's a fair assessment.
At reception where they apparently take responsibility for your personal safety Leo hands around the electronic door cards. CJ takes comfort in the fact that room four-one-two will be clean and lock properly.
She just didn't realize she'd have to share the luxury.
"We're sharing." CJ hangs behind as Leo signs the final paperwork, the others head upstairs to prepare for the mid-afternoon events.
"This isn't the 'Dew-drop Inn'." he discreetly shows her the bill, referring to last night's poor excuse for accommodation.
"Don't we have to sixth grade camp it?" she shuffles.
"I'm sorry?" he signs the bottom line.
"Girls with girls, boys with boys?"
"There's an uneven number on this trip." he hands back the pen and folds the paper work in his jacket pocket. "Besides when you freak out because you think someone is going to break in and steal your last item of clothing, who else is going to understand." he jokes.
"I can't believe you just said that."
"If you're worried about this morning..." he starts as they get in the lift. "Don't be, I've seen it all before, they're all the same, seen one set seen 'em all." he watches the floor indicator go up.
"Again I can't believe you just said that." CJ says more to herself in disbelief.
"I'm joking," he says seriously.
"And here a girl thinks she has something to offer." CJ adds breezily.
"You do." and outside their room CJ doesn't know how to take that.
"I didn't mean to be inappropriate, if I was you can kick me out of the bed tonight." he says flicking the card unsuccessfully in the slot.
"Like this." she puts her hand over his sliding the card in and out, the light goes instantly green and the door lock clicks.
The stand motionless for a second wondering just what that was they just felt.
There's only one bed... CJ mildly panics.
~*~
He's making calls when CJ comes back from talking with the traveling press; she hovers around the door till he waves her in indicating it's nothing she can't hear.
The round table is scattered with paper and CJ knows more money is coming their way when Leo ends the conversation with a smiling thank you.
"How'd it go?" he leans back in the chair.
"They were very sympathetic when I told them why I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday." she says like it were of national importance.
"No, really." he says with a small laugh.
"It was good, the guy from the Washington Post, I think he's really on our side."
"Danny Concannon?"
"Yeah, red hair, beard."
"Now, if only he were in Congress." Leo jokes. "Oh here." he says like he just remembered as he digs around in his wallet.
A GM card slides across the table in front of her and CJ wonders if she's supposed to know what he wants her to do with it.
"Yes?" she questions.
"You're not doing anything this afternoon right?"
"Um humm." she snaps each edge of the card onto the table in turn.
"Go buy yourself some clothes." he says picking up the next bit of paper in front of him.
"Oh Leo I can't, don't worry I'm getting stuff sent out from home."
"Don't be stupid, the only credit cards you're going to be eligible for now are Vasa and Mustercard." he jokes. "Besides I want you to do me a favour, buy Josh a decent shirt will you, one that doesn't look like it's come off my grandmothers kitchen table."
"I'll enlist the expertise of Donna then." CJ says standing up.
"If you think that's best."
"Is there a limit on this?" CJ flicks the card on her forearm.
"Five hundred thousand." it elicits a gasp from CJ.
"That's all." She says in a high voice.
"I have a Gold Card if you need it, just nothing from that hotel boutique downstairs Ok."
"You mean for Josh." and she gets the desired grin.
"I'll be heading to Tar-gét then."
"You can shop better than Target CJ." he says as she puts on hand on the door to leave, she turns to looks back at him because she didn't think he'd understand.
"Don't look so surprised, I have daughter and had a wife CJ." he pulls his glasses on his face and CJ smiles biting her lowers lip.
~*~
The bed is flat from end to end CJ discovers gratefully as she climbs in after a shower that night, the last thing she wants is to be rolling into the middle with Leo all night. She pulls the covers up around her chin over the pajamas she bought this afternoon and kept hidden underneath a robe when she got out of the shower, she waits listening for the shower to stop.
"Good I like the right side." he says coming out in a dowdy navy blue pair of the male equivalent.
"You don't mind if I sleep naked again do you, it's just I couldn't find anything I liked this afternoon." CJ says in all seriousness as he turns out the lamps around the room, he turns giving her the same look he did when she'd climbed out of the bed that morning. "I figured you wouldn't mind and all, as you've seen it all before." she has to pull out all stops not to break out in laughter.
He comes over to her side of the bed staring down at her, determined not to break her resolve she clenches her fists out of his sight.
"No, I don't mind at all." he says going for the covers in one swift movement and pulling them down to her ankles exposing the teddy bear print pajamas. CJ shrieks and then can't stop laughing.
"How much did they cost me?" Leo pulls the covers back up again.
"I have the receipt if you want it." she rolls over to face his side of the bed as he walks around to get in.
"I was joking CJ."
"I know but I thought if I didn't like wearing them tonight I could taken them back."
"We'll they're going to be uncomfortable because you still have the tag on them." he gets comfortable on his back. "You're thrifty even if it isn't your money," he says in disbelief.
"They were thirty-nine ninety-nine, Leo." she swings onto her back as well.
"Bargain, goodnight CJ." he turns the light out and engulfs them in silent darkness.
~*~
Something pleasantly irritating awakens CJ in the morning, like a gentle breeze. When she breaks open her eyes again she finds that during the course of the night she has rolled into the center of the bed without the help of a dip, Leo has migrated towards her as well.
On her left side and him on his right, his gentle breath on her skin is what woke her up. She lifts her head to see over his shoulder at the red digital display of five forty five. This morning she has the luxury of another hour and she closes her eyes again beckoning sleep to join her again.
~*~
"I can sleep on the couch tonight if you want." Leo calls from the bathroom later that morning.
"Don't be stupid, the bed is bigger than the bathroom, we managed not to belt each other last night, there's no need for you to take the couch." CJ pours over the morning paper.
"Thought you might like to sleep naked again." he comes out tucking in his casual shirt.
CJ rolls her eyes and adds, "If you don't mind me asking who was the last person that slept naked next to you?"
"Mallory, she was eighteen months old, had a raging fever and a middle ear infection." he recalls.
"Figures." she mumbles not loud enough for him to hear she hopes.
"I'm sorry I missed that." he adopts a smart tone.
"I now know why this is such a big issue with you." she sighs turning the page. "Did I draw the short straw?" she adds hastily.
"You got the best room in the house m'lady. I like the outfit by the way." and he disappears out the door, a small blush creeps over CJ's face.
~*~
"Who was that?" Leo asks when CJ comes back into the conference room from taking a phone call.
"American express." her face scrunches.
"What did they say?"
"They wanted to know when I was planning to declare bankruptcy."
"I didn't realize it was that bad, I thought it was a joke."
"It's no joke, I'm waiting for a severance check from my last job."
"You want me to call them as your lawyer and recover your entitlements?"
"Nah it's Ok." CJ sighs. "Mustercard rang before them and offered me a million dollar credit limit." a cheeky smile crosses her face.
~*~
"Where are we headed tomorrow again?" CJ asks that evening as she comes out of the bathroom.
"Portland." Leo looks up from what he's reading propped up in bed against the headboard.
"Where are we staying when we get there?" she rounds the bed, climbing into 'her side' and starts making notes for tomorrow.
"I don't know why don't you choose." he looks across at her, over his glasses. CJ just hopes she can have her own room because between Leo and herself and the last couple of days and nights they've gotten into a comfortable pattern which too much resembles a married couple.
"Do you by any chance have room in your suitcase?" she grins over at him.
"I do." he replies seriously.
~*~
In Portland CJ's paired with Sam and she wonders why she's the odd one out that has to bunk with all the male members of the team.
At one in the morning CJ has to politely ask Sam to turn off the laptop and the light or she won't be presentable in the morning. A half-hour later when he's asleep, she's still awake.
She heads straight for Leo's room knocking politely on the door.
He opens and she looks around him to see the two double beds, one with a sleeping Josh in it and right before his eyes she climbs into his bed.
"What are you doing?" he shuts the door a little to loudly and Josh rolls over.
"Go to sleep, it's late." CJ pulls the covers tighter around her.
"This isn't a youth hostel CJ."
"I can't sleep in the same room as Sam Ok, he talks in his sleep, I was having a conversation with him for crying out loud." she whispers loudly.
"What was he saying?" Leo asks slipping in next to her.
"Nothing comprehensible, goodnight."
~*~
If Josh is wondering the next morning what CJ is doing in his room he doesn't ask, so CJ takes a preemptive strike before his thought processes start turning out wild ideas.
"Does Sam ever talk in his sleep when you stay with him?" she asks as the complementary robe goes around her pajamas.
"Did he tell you if he slept with Leah Dunn in college?" Josh asks enthusiastically.
"No, he said something like mumble, mumble, mumble." she pulls the tie tight around her and exits the room.
~*~
"What are you wearing tonight?" Leo asks as they take the elevator down to breakfast.
"Tonight?" CJ questions, running through Bartlets appearance on local television in a couple of hours in her mind.
"The fund-raiser ball." he pulls out his wallet unbeknownst to her.
"Oh for the love of God." she sighs realizing she has nothing. "I have a red set of bikini underwear upstairs." she laughs ironically.
"They might be just what we need to loosen peoples purse strings," he says and she catches sight of the GM card again.
"The McGarry lending institution, the interest rates are brilliant, but what's my total owed?" she takes the card from him as the elevator pings.
"Two hundred, this ones on me but." he adds sincerely. "As long as I can come along."
~*~
"That's nice." Leo says taking his attention away from the phone call when CJ comes out of the change rooms in a simple red knee length dress with a sheer flower encrusted over layer.
"I love it, but I don't love the price."
"How much is it?" he covers the mouthpiece.
"Five hundred and I don't even recognize the designer."
When she disappears into the change room again, Leo signals to the assistant that they'll take it. "CJ, we're taking that one, Bartlet wants us back." he lies knowing she'd never let him buy it for her under any other circumstances.
He leaves his card with the sales assistant and continues the phone conversation outside.
"Your husband is very generous ma'am." the robust brunette turns a twinge green as she completes the transaction.
"He is." CJ goes along, she doesn't have time to tell the whole story and noticing the distinct lack of wedding ring on the sales assistants hand who is she to kill her dream that there are wealthy men out there just waiting to spend their money on the women they love...or not.
~*~
"Sir your luggage is over the allowed weight for domestic passengers." Leo looks down at the suitcases next to the check in desk.
"That's for both of us." Leo says referring to CJ standing next to him.
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't realize your wife didn't have any luggage." the young clerk apologizes and CJ wants to say out loud, there it is again.
"She's..." Leo starts before CJ interrupts, "what gate?"
~*~
"Can you get the luggage, I've got to arrange two cars." Leo asks when they get off in San Francisco.
CJ wonders if she can get money off the credit she's been getting from him, by doing his dirty work like this.
It takes a half-hour to organize two rentals and when Leo finds her CJ has watched the luggage from three other inbound planes go past her with no sign of Leo's brown suitcases.
"What's going on?" he asks coming to stand next to her jingling car keys.
"This is not happening to me." she sighs wanting to laugh till it turns to crying.
"What?" his eyes follow the luggage as it goes past them.
"They've lost your bag."
~*~
"What do you mean it's in Salt Lake City, Utah?" Leo growls to the woman behind the desk.
"Sir, I just got off the phone and they have it there..."
"I know where it is, I want to know why when it was clearly marked San Francisco." CJ joins in the barrage unwilling to let herself to be a passive by-stander anymore.
"We deeply apologize for the inconvenience, your luggage will arrive here tomorrow morning..."
"TOMORROW MORNING." Leo roars like CJ did back at the 'Dew-drop Inn'.
"We can have it transferred direct to the hotel where you and your wife are staying."
"She's not my wife."
"He's not my husband," they yell simultaneously.
"Twice in one week." CJ mutters looking down at the cream suit she is wearing, the same one she was left with after the last luggage debacle.
Leo scribbles the name of the hotel on the back of an old business card with his name on it and together they steam away from the desk.
"You're with me." Leo demurely hands CJ an identical door card to his; he's still seething from the luggage mess like he's never been inconvenienced before.
"We should have called in the FAA." CJ says dryly as they wait for the lift, but she gets no response.
~*~
"There's only one bed." CJ discovers when they open the room and she allows frustration creep into her voice.
"Well if you don't like the arrangements you can go sleep in another room in a smaller bed, they're all twin share, or perhaps you might like to sleep on the floor." he yells throwing down the small piece of carry on, on the bed.
"Hey, you're not the only one inconvenienced here, so stop acting like you are." CJ returns, fed up with the attitude.
"Oh I forgot, your an expert at being inconvenienced." he grumbles.
"Hey, that's unfair..." she starts before her phone rings. "WHAT?" she barks at the interruption. "Your kidding." in a disbelieving tone. "Ok thanks." she finishes after listening for a couple of minutes.
"Who was that?" he asks gruffly.
"That..." she snaps the phone closed for effect. "Was the manager of the 'Dew Drop Inn', they've found my suitcase."
For about ten seconds they stare expressionless at each other till CJ starts laughing hysterically out loud, infecting Leo whom laughs along with her.
"This is crazy." CJ says throwing herself onto her back on the bed. "What is going on here?"
~*~
"What are you doing?" Leo watches CJ much later that night grab the extra pillows from the room and pull back the bed covers. "You're dividing the bed," he says in disbelief as he watches her achieve her objective. "You think I'm going to jump you in the middle of the night or something."
For a couple of seconds CJ stares back at him with a blank expression.
"Oh I can't believe this, you really think that."
"Of course I don't." a wide grin spreads across her face. "I just don't want us to wake up in an uncomfortable position in the morning."
~*~
"What's that in the sink?" Leo comes out of the bathroom in one of the white robes, complimentary with the room.
"My underwear." Her focus never wavers from the round up of Bartlet's day that the local news channel has put together.
When Leo emerges fully from the bathroom, CJ hangs them on the single string clothesline. At least this time she's going to have clean underwear in the morning.
~*~
"Are you right?" CJ inquires sarcastically as she feels his eyes on her when she rounds the bed having switched out the lights except for the one by the bed.
"What?" he inquires innocently, watching the robe rustle at her knees.
"I know you've seen it all before, but there are something's I hope are still mine." she glares down at him.
"Sorry." he says turning to face away from her.
"I can't believe I'm doing this again," she says into the darkened room.
"What, sharing a room with me?" his voice reverberates around the room.
"I could get used to sleeping like this." it's the test statement and to his credit he doesn't flinch.
Both go to sleep with smiles on their faces.
~*~
In the morning, CJ finds herself sleeping on her side, one arm under her pillow and the other across Leo's sternum. The divider pillows have let her down.
The divider pillows are nowhere to be seen.
She stares at the offending arm strewn casually over his warm body, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, when did it start independently thinking?
With the hope of not disturbing him she slides the offending arm back to her side using it to pull the sheets closer to her body.
"What'd you do that for." his eyes flicker open and he rolls onto his side to face her.
"I'm sorry, I haven't slept next to anyone in a while..." her explanation fades.
"It was nice..." he admits softly, not letting eye contact break. There's something vulnerable, needy and innocent about the look and it's probably the reason she lets him continue when he moves over to kiss her.
He's delicate and gentle with experienced lips that have had years to perfect the art.
Under the covers he shuffles closer to CJ and it doesn't go unnoticed, her immediate reaction is to pull out and move away.
"What is it?" confusion rules his facial features.
"Suddenly I'm very aware I'm naked." she says with a nervous laugh.
"*Now* you become modest."
"No...It's...what exactly are we doing?" CJ sits up holding the sheet close around her.
"I don't analyze these things..."
"We probably shouldn't do this." CJ sighs.
"You're analyzing." Leo rolls onto his back again.
"Please don't pair us for rooms together again." CJ grabs for the robe within arms reach, wrapping it around her and disappears behind a closed bathroom door.
Their luggage arrives later that morning and CJ finds her severance payment has been put in her bank account, she pays off the credit cards she has been living on while waiting for the payment and organizes to get her stolen luggage shipped to their next destination.
Leo proves the hardest task.
He refuses the whole seven hundred and under protest takes the two hundred.
"They found my luggage in a charity bin." an air of uncomfortability has rolled in, like a thick fog, since this morning and CJ attempts small talk in the hope of getting some normality back. She misses the rapport they had.
"Criminals with a conscience." he summarizes.
"Who would have thought." and the conversation dies as quickly as it began and unsure of where to go from here, CJ stands and leaves the room.
~*~
"Are we there yet?" Leo deadpans from the back seat of the car; it's over a week since CJ said the same thing on a darkened road that looks frighteningly the same as this one.
"It's another five hours Leo." Josh doesn't look up from what he's working on, it had been a long couple of days since San Francisco and then L.A.
"We have to stop somewhere for the night." CJ turns and glares from the front seat at him.
"We're going straight through, we've only been on the road for an hour or so." she punctuates each word with emphasis.
"I need to sleep, we should have flown." from the drivers seat Toby agrees and CJ sighs in outnumbered defeat.
"We can't afford to." CJ perks up, hoping to deter the plan.
"I'll pay." Leo offers levelly. "Twenty minutes to the next town."
~*~
"Roadside rest-stop." CJ reads from the flickering neon sign
"Original." Toby grunts.
"Twenty dollars a night." Josh reads as they pull in.
"That's at least two stars." Leo adds not too convincingly.
Looking at the rooms that face the road and imaging poor door locks with what happened to her last time, CJ puts her foot down. "I'm not staying here."
"It'll be Ok CJ." Leo isn't reassuring, and apparently not giving her any choice.
~*~
"I'm next to you, if there's a problem." Leo tells her as she pushes the key into the door, it's not quite as bad as the last place, but instills no confidence.
At any rate CJ only bought with her to the room the things she will need.
The room has a distinct dirty smell, perhaps having never been cleaned and when CJ collapses into the bed, the mattress bends around her body.
In the shower she tells herself it's only for a couple of hours.
She pulls the covers close around her in the bed and squeezes her eyes shut willing sleep to join her.
It's a quieter stretch of highway than the last dumpy hotel and CJ hears every little creak and crackle sound. Her mind races out of control with thousands of possibilities till she has herself so worked up that sleep is out of the question.
Almost paralyzed with fear she slowly reaches for the bedside lamp, only venturing from the bed when light bathes every corner of the room.
At the door to the room she opens it equally as slowly, always standing behind it. She peers around the door then left and right from it making sure there's no one lurking.
Outside his room after knocking she looks left and right constantly till he opens the door.
"We've got to stop meeting like this." he says sleepily after CJ slams the door shut. All jokes are off when he sees how frightened she is.
Hey what's up?" he asks concerned, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"It was stupid, I let my mind run and I... I got all worked up...I'm sorry I shouldn't have disturbed you." her arms flail and he notices she's on the verge of tears.
"Come on, can't have you scared out of your wits, gripping the bed sheets next door." he ushers her deeper into his room which is just as bad and into the sinking bed.
Tonight she doesn't think twice about wrapping an arm around him and putting herself in as closer contact to him that she can. A protective arm closes around her and a comforting kiss is pressed to the top of her head, it doesn't matter what hotel it is now, she feels safe.
~*~
"Have you been awake all night?" CJ finds herself in the same warm arms the next morning when she wakes up; Leo has been watching her sleep.
"This bed isn't exactly therapeutic for my back." he shifts slightly under her and CJ moves away from him. "How are you this morning? I've never seen anyone as frightened as you were last night."
"Better." on her back she flicks her head to look at him. "It was stupid, I acted like a five year old afraid of monsters under her bed."
"Fear is irrational CJ, I wasn't expecting a five page press release on what was wrong."
"Thank you." the words cascade out like velvet.
"That's Ok." he doesn't let his gaze falter from hers and when she initiates the kiss this time he doesn't hesitate either.
"What is it?" he breathes when she extracts her lips and arms from him a few moments later.
"We have to get up in five minutes..." CJ nods to the analogue clock on his side of the bed. "And I want to do this in a bed that isn't about to swallow me for breakfast."
Leo disappears in Phoenix after check in; Bartlet is on the rant again about un-professional mistakes and doesn't want to know anyone but Leo.
CJ's suitcase is waiting for her minus one Chanel suit which probably will make a nice Mothers Day present, the rest it seems was only fit for charity, though not in CJ's opinion.
It's the best room they've stayed in so far for all the time they've been on the road; CJ drops the bags inside the door and sets out to rejuvenate in the spa.
The room is clean and secure, when CJ climbs into the generous bed that supports her comfortably there's but one thing on her mind.
~*~
When he comes in much later that evening CJ faces away from the door, pretending to be asleep.
She waits as he creeps around their room preparing for the night's rest, pulling the sheet further up although it's somewhere around her neck.
She waits, feeling the bed dip as he gets in and finds a comfortable position.
Only then does she turn to face him, fluttering open her eyes, still keeping the sheet high.
"You don't mind if I sleep naked tonight do you, I couldn't find anything more appropriate to wear." her voice low and throaty.
"I don't mind at all." he rolls over peeking under the sheet to prove she wasn't lying. "So is this for getting the Presidential Suite?" he kisses her softly.
Her head shakes no.
"Is this for rescuing you from paralyzing fear?" he tries again, placating it with another kiss.
Again a negative head shake.
"Is this one night only?" he stops to look right at her.
"No." she sighs, moving closer to kiss him again. "Does there have to be a reason, I don't like to analyze these things." using his line.
"A wise man told you that." he mumbles in between intensifying kisses.
"He did." she begins tugging at unnecessary clothing.
"I'm wearing too much aren't I?"
"We're definitely going to have to loose this luggage." she grins devilishly before capturing his lips with hers again.