Title: To you…Valentine
Author: Loz
E-Mail: loz06@yahoo.com
Rating: PG 13 - R
Category: CJ/Leo
Series: Stand-alone
Spoilers: None
Archive (if applicable): The National Library http://westwingstories.com/library, also FanFiction.net
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.
Summary: Abbey making Valentine's dates for CJ, but as always things don't go to plan.
Author's Notes: Jordan fans may like to tread with care or turn away now.
Disclaimers: To you…Mr Sorkin I acknowledge full ownership.
*
"...And Dr. Bartlet wants to see you during lunch." Carol concluded the first half of CJ's day.
Looking at the gaudy pink heart and the red cupid someone had tacked crookedly to her door...she sighed knowing what that appointment was all about.
"If there is anyway I can be out of the country before lunch I want you to find it." CJ said seriously gathering her things and hiding in her office.
For each year that she'd known Abbey Bartlet, CJ had been accepting blind dates on Valentines Day, which in the scheme of things were only a few dates out of her life. With nothing held over her CJ questioned why she kept accepting year after year. Probably because there was something nice about having Abbey looking out for her, like her own mother who would give CJ a thumbs up or down when her dates came to the door.
So far there'd been the doctor, lawyer and accountant, CJ had to wonder what professional pool Abbey was going to dip into this year and she prayed he wouldn't be as boring as the accountant.
~*~
"This year...let me guess... economist." CJ grinned across the First Lady's desk.
"Stockbroker CJ...I'm a little nicer than setting you up with a clone of my husband." Abbey said in a mock of disbelief.
"You're determined aren't you?" CJ smiled.
"I'm going to be dancing at your wedding before I have anymore grandkids." she tapped her pen against the desk.
"So..." CJ fished for more information.
Dr. Bartlet passed CJ a white piece of paper with her office header on it.
"You're giving me details of my date as an inter office memo." CJ laughed standing out of her chair.
"Dress nice CJ, he's the guy for you, he's the one."
Cynically CJ rolled her eyes on the way out.
~*~
"It's your lawyer." Margaret said gruffly appearing in front of Leo.
"Send her in." Leo looked up from what he was doing.
"She's on the phone." and Margaret was gone faster than she disappeared.
"Leo McGarry." he said automatically, giving half his attention back to what he'd been doing and shaking his head at the bizarre behavior of his assistant.
"Leo."
"The payments in the mail Jordan." he jumps in without consideration, misinterpreting her automatic business like tone.
"That's not what I called about." she relaxes her voice a little and he stops what he's doing.
"Sorry...I"
"Do you always answer the phone like that?" he can see her head tilt ever so slightly as she asks the question in his mind.
"Well I wouldn't want to give anyone any undue special treatment." he jokes pushing back in his chair.
"Are you busy tonight?" he's about to call Margaret for his schedule then realizing this is something that doesn't have to go through her necessarily.
"No."
"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight, today being the special day it is." his glasses come off slowly to rest in front of him.
"Special." he says searching his head, she's never told him her birthday but then mentally kicks himself as his eyes travel across the pink and red hearts that someone has taped to his door. The arrow through one has sagged over the course of the day, which he finds appropriate, given the stance of his personal life at the moment...inactive.
"St. Valentines Day." she says in a tone that tells him she's not surprised he's forgotten or worse didn't realize.
"I knew that." he smiles. "I'd like to have dinner with you."
"I'll meet you outside the gates at 8:30 then."
~*~
"CJ, you're going to be late." Carol calls from her outer office.
"You were supposed to have me on a flight out of here this morning." CJ grumbles pulling on her jacket, she refuses to change for any blind date.
"The only flight to the Caribbean was at six this morning." Carol smirks at her, holding out her bag. She'd hide out in her office and then make up a story later but CJ knew the First Lady was likely to come wandering by shortly, making sure she has gone on the date...there was no possibility Zoey ever skipped school on the grounds of a stomach complaint that wasn't legitimate.
"Have a nice time." Carol calls after he and CJ waves a dismissive hand, having already made up her mind the next how ever long is going to be worse than her emergency root canal...and that's if the food is good.
~*~
While she waits to check the reservation CJ scans the restaurant for people she recognizes and thus calculating how many papers she's going to read about tonight's date in tomorrow. She recognizes no one till Leo.
Sitting alone at one the center table she smiles over at him, wondering what he's doing here. He smiles back embarrassed and when she notices the bunch of red roses in front of him she realizes he's not here because he's sick of the restaurant in his hotel.
"CJ Cregg?" the deep voice spins her around, saving Leo from further embarrassment.
The handsome man that stands before her dressed in a dark suit and power tie heartens CJ. He could easily be Sam in ten years but CJ doesn't want to dwell on that, instead she says silent thanks to a higher power that Abbey finally got it right.
~*~
Less than an hour later CJ is desperately searching the restaurant for Leo, hoping to make eye contact that conveys her desperation and he might rescue her with some imaginary emergency. She fumbles at her ear thinking it might be bleeding as she gets another speech on investing in gold stocks. Her date has 'I' disease, he hasn't stopped to ask anything about her and CJ is now equipped to write a biography on him having heard his life story three times. She wants to ring the residence and the first couple and scream down the phone line to Abbey what was she thinking and ask where she finds these men...most of all, what is she being punished for.
Instead she excuses herself and goes to the ladies.
She claps eyes on Leo who is sitting alone, but there are two empty plates at his table.
She consciously decides not to hassle him for a swift exit plan. Instead concentrate on digesting the meal that has been obstructed by her dates talking and is now building to indigestion.
~*~
CJ hurriedly closes the stall door behind her, putting down the lid to sit on and sliding her feet half way out of the shoes she's been wearing for the past fifteen hours. She leans back and underneath her the toilet makes halfhearted gurgling noises as her head connects with the flush button.
She wonders how long she can stay in here before it becomes strange and whether her date will simply keep talking about himself...even in her absence.
Apparently the woman in the toilet next to her isn't here to pee either as the familiar sounds of a phone being dialed bounces around the room.
Obviously she's unaware of CJ's presence, she feels a little bad about the fact she's going to be forced to eavesdrop with the acoustics of the room, but something tells her this is a conversation she's going to want to be privy to because you don't make regular calls locked inside a toilet stall.
The woman speaks without a break leading CJ to assume it's a machine, but what's most disturbing is the message. A poor husband somewhere will soon get a message from who he assumes is his loving wife, thanking him for his flowers and apologizing for being caught up at work.
CJ thinks it's a safe bet she's not part of the wait staff at the restaurant and she's not here to work.
~*~
CJ catches a glance of the back of the woman as she disappears out of the ladies room. Her navy suit burns into CJ's brain as she follows the woman out, careful to keep a discreet distance.
She waits by the payphone, protected from sight by the artificial plants that are collecting dust. Watching to see which table the woman returns to.
It's Leo's.
~*~
All eye contact is avoided as CJ power walks back to her table, her date has another glass of wine poured and is deep in conversation about dot com stocks with their waiter.
He barely notices as she excuses herself saying she has to make a phone call.
~*~
The outdoors tables are empty, testimony to the cold weather; CJ clutches her phone to her ear wishing she had the forethought to bring her coat out with her. She listens to his phone ring three times and almost hangs up telling herself all of it's really none of her business.
Before she does she sees him fumble for the phone in his jacket pocket, the small piece of technology practically surgically attached to him, the entire Senior Staff are the same.
His features scrunch when the caller ID displays her name and she watches his head turn towards her table to look for her.
"I'm outside, don't look at me." She says without hello. "I just got a call from Toby, there's trouble." she lies.
"What sort."
"Come outside, I'll tell you then." she snaps her phone closed leaving any protest he may have to be voiced to the disconnection beep.
She sits off to the side at a table, her back facing the patrons inside as if someone may recognize her, like she wasn't meant to be here and this was a meeting that wasn't meant to be seen by the wrong eyes.
"CJ." he calls and she turns to look at him, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to ward off the chill that is evading her exposed skin.
"What's going on?" he questions sitting across from her.
"There's no problem...I lied." she looks back inside as the waiter pours Leo's date another glass of wine.
"What's going on?"
"How well do you know that woman you're with tonight?" CJ leans across the table and starts regretting even considering doing this.
"She's my lawyer." he's looking at her like maybe she should be committed to an institution someplace and CJ nothing but agrees he has good reason.
"So tonight is business?" she prays he says no because she's not sure what will happen if he says yes.
"Not strictly, what's this about CJ?" he's starting to sound annoyed and CJ knows he has good reason.
"I was in the ladies about ten minutes ago and she made a phone call to her husband to say thank you for the flowers and she was sorry she had to work late tonight." CJ cringes, waiting for a reaction.
"You're sure it was her." his gaze passes her to the woman sitting in the dining chair opposite to his.
"I watched her go back to your table."
"You're sure it was her husband." Jordan raises her arm looking at her watch.
"She said hubby very clearly." CJ cringes realizing there's no other explanation here.
"Ok." he says without emotion, standing to head back inside.
~*~
From behind the glass door she watches as Leo and his lawyer exchange words that become increasingly heated, she can tell despite not being able to hear anything. She steps inside into earshot on the end of the conversation watching Leo grab the bunch of red roses he arrived with and telling her never to call him again before walking out, oblivious to the other people in the restaurant who have forgotten their meals and turned to stare.
Jordan swivels in her seat to escape the scores of scrutinizing eyes that are currently on her. CJ suspects that is what's worrying her, not being left with the bill given what she heard she charged Leo an hour during his testimony.
She claps eyes on CJ displaying her best look to kill; cueing CJ to flee back to the relative safety of her table, hoping out of sight out of mind has even a grain of truth to it.
Her date is gone, the only evidence of his departure a paid bill for the meal and his business card propped up against the vase. She makes a mental note to apologize through Abbey on Monday.
Up front she throws his card into the glass bowel that could win him a weekend for two away...it's the least she can do, as long as he doesn't invite her.
~*~
"Leo." she yells, struggling to pull on her coat as he paces further away from her down the street.
He stops but doesn't turn, knowing who is calling his name.
"I'm so sorry," she gushes when she reaches him. "It was none of my business, I shouldn't have...I just thought you should know if you didn't already."
"You think I'd knowingly carry on a relationship with a married woman?" it comes out a little harsh reminding CJ she really didn't think before she spoke.
"Of course not, I just didn't know...what to do or think really."
"You did the right thing." the tone comes back to normal.
"Thanks." she says uncomfortably, looking at the scuffmarks on her shoes.
"What were you doing there?" the flowers rustle in his hand.
"It's a long story." she sighs knowing Monday she's going to get a lecture from Abbey and an undetermined number of sighs about how hopeless she is and the fact she's going to die a lonely old spinster...at which point CJ usually points out she will have her cats.
"Want to tell me over coffee?"
She smiles thinking maybe the night isn't a total loss. " Sure why not."
~*~
"Every year." he laughs spooning some of the frothy milk from the top his cappuccino.
"Don't laugh!" CJ protests, unable to conjure up a comeback.
"No seriously, I want to thank you, because if it weren't for you, I suspect I would be her target."
"Women can do more than one thing at a time." CJ stirs her coffee idly.
"Well I think I was safe because of..." his lawyers name is a careless wave of his hand.
"I'm really sorry Leo, I don't usually do that sort of thing."
"The morality police thing."
"I prefer Superwoman." she grins.
"So what does Abbey Barlet have over you that you keep accepting these horrible dates each year?" he shifts in his chair pulling his coat closer around him.
"Nothing." CJ replies with a raise of her eyebrows.
"So you're sadistic by nature then." He concludes. "A glutton for punishment."
"No." she laughs harder this time, imaging whips and chains. "It reminds me of my mother, when I was in my late teens."
"You going to tell me the story or leave me to draw my own conclusions?"
"My mother used to always, when my dates came to the door." she pauses, the trip down memory lane causing a wide smile. "She'd give me a secret thumbs up or down, when my date wasn't looking."
"Was she always right."
"I don't know, but I bought Toby over not long after I'd met him, we were both late twenties and I'd moved out by that time, we weren't dating and my mother gave him the thumbs down as we left."
"What happened?"
"Well I never told him." CJ laughs, unable to break from looking across to Leo.
~*~
"Happy Valentines Day CJ." at her front door he thrusts the slightly wilted flowers out to her; this fact doesn't go unnoticed by her.
"Another woman's flowers, thank you." she jokes. "This certainly will be one of the more memorable Valentines Days." their gentle scent hasn't withered.
"For me at least." he shrugs.
"I don't have anything to give you." CJ says sounding disappointed, beginning the search through her bag as if she might produce something rabbit in a hat style.
"It's Ok."
"All I have is..." she pulls the silver foiled condom from her bag. "I ah...Abbey gave it to me."
"Only one." his eyebrows raise.
"She's optimistic, but doesn't want to jinx things."
"She's not the only one apparently." He gestures to the fact CJ herself is carrying it.
"Oh, I collect them, carry them around, see how many I get and don't use before the expiry date arrives."
"No sense in letting another one go to waste." he says without realizing and it only takes the look on CJ's face to bring him back to reality.
"I'm sorry, that was extraordinarily inappropriate of me, it's something you probably wouldn't even consider let alone all the other aspects there are to that equation."
"It's Ok, I hadn't considered it." the scuff marks on her shoes get another inspection as the atmosphere has gone from comfortable to awkward in less than a dozen words from him.
"I should let you go, I'll see you Monday."
"Thanks for the flowers."
"It's Ok, they wouldn't survive till Monday to give to Margaret."
She disappears inside her front door.
~*~
The flowers land unceremoniously on the table next to the door, her bag slides from her hand and her head bangs back against her door trying to extract just where it's coming from, it being the desire to take Leo up on his wasted condom offer, as if as simple as food that would be thrown out when millions of people go hungry each day.
She takes two steps from the door before turning around and pulling it open.
He's standing right where she left him.
"You're still here." her voice is hollow and without surprise.
"I am." he nods, with no further explanation as to why he's keeping her front doorstep warm.
"I re-considered." she takes a step closer, her hands fumbling nervously.
"I hoped you would, that's why I stuck around." his hands on hers in one touch erase her clumsy movements.
She steps back as their lips meet in a shallow kiss and he doesn't move with her inside her apartment, breaking the moment. With a gentle tug on his tie he steps inside and once their alone she gently uses her tongue to persuade him to deepen the kiss.
They litter the floor with their clothes as he leads her around the unfamiliar apartment looking for her bedroom.
"Kitchen." she breathes as he backs towards it, her hands pulling insistently at his tie.
"Laundry." she mumbles against his neck as his fingers nimbly open her blouse buttons.
"Study." she moans as an impatient hand caresses her breast through her bra.
"You have a bedroom right." he smiles up at her as she works to free his belt and pants.
"We could just do it here on the floor." she says before capturing his lips with hers again.
"You're doing the directions." her pants ripple to the floor and he runs his index finger along her panties testing how wet she is which gets an approval moan. He spins them around and she leads him in the direction of her bed.
~*~
"Just how many do you have?" he asks seductively from where he's sitting against a mountain of pillows at the end of the bed. In their haste the bedclothes have become completely un-tucked and now they sit facing each other on opposite ends of the bed.
"See for yourself." she gazes over at him the sheet covering nothing, quite comfortable in her nakedness around him.
He crawls over, straddling her on all fours, stealing kisses while he opens the drawer.
It's empty except for the condoms that cover the entire base of the drawer.
"There's a factory next door right." He says, following her as she slides back down the bed.
She shakes her head no.
"Your a shareholder in a pharmaceutical company." he pulls the sheet off her legs, taking her nipple into his mouth.
Somehow no escapes through her mouth.
"It's a fetish." He mumbles into her as his hand massages at her other breast.
She gives the slightest indication of no, her hand stroking his cock as he hardens in her hand.
"Your significant talents..." he gasps as her thumb rolls over the head. "...Have been going to waste."
She pulls him up, sliding her tongue across the roof of his mouth letting him know it was the right answer.
"Where's the one Abbey gave you?" he nibbles below her ear his hands moving up her inside thigh.
CJ grabs it from the table shaking her head only to give way to a lusty moan as he reaches the juncture of her thighs and center.
"It's a keeper." She breathes hoping he won't touch her center till she can say what she wants to or she won't be in any fit state to say anything comprehensible.
She flicks it over the reveal the other side of the packaging that shows it's a novelty condom, covered in little red hearts and cupids. He grins, slipping it under her pillow and she goes for another one from the drawer.
~*~
"Are we going to do this you and I?" she looks up at him from where she lies perpendicular; her head is rested on his stomach. "Or are you going to use your stock with someone else?"
"We should do this." she moves up to kiss him. "It's going to be expensive though."
He looks baffled across at her where she now lies next to him.
"Well if anyone finds out about us, we might need a lawyer." she grins gliding a hand over the spot her head was on moments ago.
"I'd better call and apologize to Jordan then." he rolls his eyes mockingly.
"And if we're going to keep this up." she points to the three empty foil wrappers and discarded condoms with their ends tied which surrounded her alarm clock that reads five thirty am...they haven't been to sleep yet. "We're going to need those shares in a pharmaceutical company."
"Better call your stockbroker friend then." his eyes twinkle teasingly.
"Mmmm" she agrees as she glides over to him, running her hands through the sprinkling of chest hair and rubbing noses before kissing him.
"So it's all sorted then." he flips her over so he's on top.
She shakes her head, biting her lower lip in uncertainty he hasn't seen on her face before.
"What the hell am I going to tell Abbey Bartlet on Monday?"
~*~