On The Road With Danny Concannon: 'O5-'06: The Final Year
"Staying On Message"
Companion Episode: Message Of The Week (Early August)
Spoilers: The Entire Series
Notes: Many, but not all of the dates and time periods mentioned are taken directly from Margaret's testimony in Mr. Frost.
Other Characters: Greg Brock
"6 reporters in the White House press
Corp say you play favorites
It used to be Danny Concannon -
now it's Greg Brock"
—Babish, The Ticket
"We're both professionals, we're both being investigated by professionals. It's bad enough your plastered all over my call sheet and Congress has every scrap of paper aside from my half finished cross word puzzles so will you please leave my office before I call in an armored division."
C.J. Cregg – The Mommy Problem
"I always liked you in that suit."
—Greg Brock - The Mommy Problem
March 2007
Danny walked off the elevator dressed in a perfectly nice suit C.J. had helped him pick out.
"Hi," he said to the receptionist. "I'm here to see.."
"Danny!" came a voice.
"Stan." Danny walked toward the man.
"Thank you for coming in. Come, come. My office is this way."
"So, I heard you got married," Stan said, ushering Danny into his office.
"Yeah, last month."
"Congrats."
"Thanks." He laughed it off. Danny played with his wedding ring for a moment. Stan leaned against the front of his desk.
I'm glad we could do this in person." Stan offered up a seat to Danny. "We're really jazzed about your book and I wanna get it on the streets as soon as possible."
"That's great." Danny felt very wooed. It was nice.
"I thought you said you were done with writing... books."
"I had a change of heart."
"Great, great. We really have some great things down the pipe. Just got a deal from another reporter, nothing like your book, still got all that political intrigue... hey, I think he worked in the White House for a few years- Greg Brock – you two ever cross paths?"
Danny stiffened in his chair, "Yeah." He paused. "We crossed path's a few times."
"You talk to him everyday.
He drops by more than a guy with a phone
in his pocket needs to drop by…..
What is the nature of your relationship
with Greg Brock?"
-Babish "The Ticket"
A LITTLE OVER TWO YEARS BEFORE:
Early August
(The Present 2005)
Cumberland Minimum Security Prison, MD
Danny was taken down a hallway and into a small room with brick walls and a small high window. The door was closed and he was left alone in the room. Left alone with Greg Brock.
Greg Brock lifted his head. He wore jeans with a blue shirt and didn't look at all in bad shape, he looked his usual self. Greg smiled, in a sly way, and leaned his right arm over the back of his chair.
"Somehow I wasn't surprised when they said you'd called," he said matter-of-factly. There was a small silence.
"Really?" Danny asked with less of a question than one might have thought.
"So, it's true, then?" he asked. Danny didn't answer. "Don't' know what I mean?"
"No." He said. "I don't."
Greg waited a moment, waiting for some response from Danny, "You're here because of her." Still nothing was said. "You're here because of C.J. Cregg."
Flashback: June 27th (of the present year) 12:10 pm
The Office of C.J. Cregg - Chief of Staff
Greg leaned in and kissed C.J. causing her to repel in shock.
"What was that?" She stood up from the couch, in her office as chief of staff.
"I just thought…" Brock stood with his hands out to explain himself.
"Well you thought wrong," she demanded. C.J. walked toward her desk. She looked flustered and awkward, nervous almost.
PRESENT
Brock & Danny
"Why are you here then?" Brock paused. "The Post doing a special section on me? My paper won't be too happy about that." He took a cigarette pack from his pocket. He offered one up to Danny who turned it down. Brock nodded his head and put a cigarette in his mouth. From his right side pocket Brock took a lighter and lit the cigarette.
"No special section." Danny said softly. "I'm here to talk."
"Talk." He gestured with the lit cigarette. "Just talk?"
"Off the record."
"That's what my lawyer said." Brock leaned forward. "You don't want to try and get an exclusive on me? Ask me all the questions - get another Pulitzer? Reporter stands up for the first amendment." He used his hand to show a fake headline.
"Would you answer my questions on the record?"
"No." Brock laughed.
"Then, there you go."
"Sit down." He motioned toward the seat in front of him.
"I'm good."
"Suit yourself." He leaned back and took another drag off his cigarette. "So, professional curiosity, huh?"
"I'm behind what you're doing, Brock."
"If you think I'm here as some kind of statement, I'm not." There was a pause. "I have a kid, a young kid, with divorced parents, and I'd rather be out there with my kid than in here for 18 months." He paused. "But you're right, a source is a source, it has to be protected and if it means being here says something- then so be it." There was a pause. "You think you could get a message to my kid?" He paused. He took a drag. "I get to see her once a week, but you know it's not enough. It's just not enough. Just a message, makes her feel better."
"I can."
"Okay, when we're done. I'll write a note. You'll have it delivered?" Danny nodded his head. "Okay, what do you wanna know?"
Danny looked for the words he didn't want to ask.
"Why am I asking?" Brock said. "I think you just don't really wanna know. You wanna know the truth, Danny? Do you really?" There was nothing said.
"I do."
"Okay. Ask away."
It took him a moment, but just like Babish, Danny asked his question. The question of the week. "What was between you and C.J. Cregg?"
"Let's answer this question first?" Brock said. "What was between you and C.J. Cregg?" Danny said nothing. "Just like her. She said nothing, too."
Almost two years before...
The Office OF C.J. Cregg– Press Secretary
The White House
"So, what's with the fish?" Greg asked C.J. in her office as Press Secretary.
"It's a fish. Nothing's with it. It's a fish." She didn't look at him or Gail.
"You don't seem like the fish type."
"I'm not," she said flatly.
"Not the fish type. Yet you have a fish on your desk." His eyes popped up for fun. "Peculiar?"
C.J. smirked. "It was a gift. Do you have anymore questions, or are we done here? I think we're done."
"I hear things," he said as he got up from the chair.
"Really, you know there's medication for that."
"Does someone have a little bit of a past?" he said in a flirty way.
"I'm sorry?" C.J. was all business.
"Nothing." Brock walked toward the door and stopped. He put his hand on the door, he turned around and closed the door. "I think you should know - just in case it's untrue. I hear things." He paused and C.J. looked scared for a moment. "People say you had a favorite before me."
"You're not my favorite. I give all the major papers more access." She looked at him. "Is this for a story—am I the basis of one of your stories again?"
"No. This isn't for a story." He paused.
"What then?"
"Off the record," he said with a gossipy tone. "You have an affair with Danny Concannon?"
"What? No."
"'Cause I hear things."
"Open the door."
"What?"
"Open the door," she demanded. C.J. walked toward her own door and opened it ."This conversation is over."
"Okay…." He looked at her in the eyes and paused. "Yeah..." He turned his head away like he was going to leave, but looked back at her one last time. "I just wanted you to know—I hear things," he said softly. "You really do look good in a suit," he said and walked away. C.J. was left confused.
PRESENT
Brock waited a moment before speaking. "So I know, and you know, and none of us are gonna say anything, are we, Concannon?" Brock said with a directness.
"You're on her call sheet." Danny didn't look so good.
"There it is. It's always about her, isn't it?" he teased. He was having too much fun with his professional rival.
Danny took a breath. "She's my friend. I just wanna know the truth."
"So do I." Greg said. "Isn't that why we got into this business in the first place?"
"Yeah…"
"It's always about the truth." He paused. "You answer my question and I'll answer yours…..off the record." He paused. "Lets get it all on the table, for we got something in common, here. I think?"
"Okay." He said softly. Danny looked weak for some reason. He knew he would have to go wherever Greg led, to get the answer to the question he desired.
"You have an affair with C.J. Cregg?"
"No," he said softly.
"Did you want to?" he asked. "The truth Danny. I'll know if you're lying. All of Washington will know if you're lying - well maybe only the White House press room."
Danny took a beat, and softly and surely as if it killed him to have to say it out loud, he said, "Yes."
"Now, we're playing hard ball," he said. "You wanna know what I was doing all over her call sheet?"
"Yes."
"Knowing you- this isn't based on the rumor and the innuendoes. Congressional hearings aren't open to the public. You have the sheet, don't you? Of course you do." There was a long pause and they looked each other down. Brock leaned back, "Here's your answer." He paused, "You'll want to sit for this."
Danny didn't sit.
Brock nodded his head and continued. "It started about a year ago, or so. She had just become Chief of Staff. I'd get called into the principal's office and get called out, more times than I'm sure you did when Leo was around, but she wasn't very good at letting go of her old turf, and I was okay with that. I got a sitdown with the new Chief of Staff -to silence a piece I was doing –in exchange I got an exclusive with the first female Chief of Staff. Plus, I got to spend time with her."
Winter of The PresentYear
The Office of C.J. Cregg – Chief of Staff
"Okay." Greg stood up from the chair next to the couch, in C.J.'s office "I think that's all I need."
"Great." C.J. smiled. She stood up and walked back toward Leo's desk, well, her desk now.
"So, off the record, how ya doin'?" He closed his notebook.
"I'm fine." She smiled trying not to let on to her true feelings. "It's a lot of reading, but hell I didn't like having a weekend anyway."
"Ruins the work week." He joked back.
"You said it." She smiled.
"Okay, great." Brock went for the door. "Thanks a lot. It's gonna be a good piece."
"Great." She sat back down. "Just spell my name right," she joked.
"Ahh…yeah.." Brock rolled through his notes and stopped for a moment, he turned to her. "A few clarifying questions, unsure of my handwriting here—"
"Shoot."
"When you joined the Bartlet campaign—you didn't know anyone involved, right?"
"Just Toby Ziegler. He brought me on."
"That's right you worked together—"
"In New York." She smiled.
"And how early would you say you started weighing in on key decisions?"
"Pretty much right away—well, it took The President a while to get used to us- but we mostly just weighed in with Leo and Leo would talk it over with the President… pretty straight forward. We were all so low key and small back then it didn't matter what our specific expertises were, we were all pretty much advisors and it just carried over into the White House, but by the time we got to the convention he'd gotten to know the four of us so well…"
"Four of you?"
"Sam, Toby, Josh - me."
"And Josh brought on Hoynes?"
"He was the front runner for so long. It made sense. Second always gets asked."
"You helped, weighing in on the subject?"
"Of course we all had our opinions. We felt it was the right choice, some weighed in more than others—"
"You and Josh?"
"But we all pretty much knew—I'm sorry?."
"I figured you and Josh were the most vocal."
"No, not really."
"Past experience and all, I mean I know Josh knew him longer and better, but-?"
"Hoynes? No, that was all Josh. I didn't know the Vice President."
"You'd never met him before?"
"Not before the convention, no." She started to set some papers. "That was all Josh."
Greg didn't say anything for a moment.
"I thought—sorry, sorry. My mistake." He paused and put out his hand holding his pencil. "Thank you." And he left.
LATER THAT NIGHT:
Brock sat in his apartment looking over his notes, he checked and checked them twice. He opened a file cabinet and took out a small tape player along side a small tape marked :" Hoynes Interview". He placed it in the player. Brock ran through a few parts until he hit the moment he wanted.
"Oh yeah. C.J. Cregg, we go way back—" Hoynes was heard saying. "She used to work outta California I believe with Emilys list—we crossed paths-once- maybe twice." He rewound it and listened again.
A WEEK LATER :
The Office Of C.J. Cregg – Chief of Staff.
C.J. picked up her phone, it was late.
"I know you'd met Hoynes before the convention," he said softly.
She took a breath and put her hand on her head. She held in her emotion.
"I misspoke."
"We need to talk. Can I see you?"
"Tomorrow, I have-"
"I think tonight," he said sternly.
"Okay, be here in an hour."
LATER THAT NIGHT
C.J.'s office
"Come in." C.J. opened the door to her office and let him in. She closed the door.
"I forgot about the fundraiser, you're right?" She said. "I misspoke, I'd met him before. You're right." Nothing was said. "End of story." She opened the door.
Brock walked over and closed the door.
"Excuse me, we're done here," she said.
"I didn't mean to find this…" He looked her in the eye. "But I was looking back at my interview with John Hoynes. He said he'd met you before."
"I worked for Emily's List and he was at a fundraisier. I said that. " She walked back toward her desk.
"I know, C.J."
She didn't say anything. Brock kept on talking.
"I looked into some things—I didn't mean to find it." She gave him a look and stood next to the window. "I don't wanna publish it. I just thought you'd like to know- I know."
C.J. took a deep breath and walked around to her desk. She knew this moment would come.
PRESENT
"You were blackmailing her?" Danny yelled to Brock.
"I wasn't blackmailing her. Let me finish. I told her I didn't think it was news, it wasn't news. I wanted to help her put it to rest. I told her I'd keep her up to date on my investigation."
"For exclusive interviews and connections-"
"No," he insisted. "You don't think very well of me, do you?"
"No, I don't Brock. Not now, I don't."
"I wasn't blackmailing her!" There was a long pause.
"You've always been too cocky for my taste."
"That makes two of us." There was a pause. "I say we both calm down if you want an answer to your question. Let's stay on message, here."
Danny took a breath and they didn't speak for a moment. Finally Danny spoke up, "You didn't say what you had on her?"
"No." He paused and leaned back. "I didn't."
Danny wasn't the only person protecting C.J. Brock continued the rest of his story.
Back to C.J.'s Office:
Winter of The Present Year
"I know C.J."
She didn't say anything. Brock kept on talking.
"I looked into some things—I didn't mean to find it." She gave him a look and stood next to the window. "I don't wanna publish it. I just thought you'd like to know- I know."
C.J. took a deep breath and walked around to her desk.
Brock walked toward her. "I wanna help. This isn't news. It shouldn't be. If I could find it. So could anyone."
"Anyone?" she said. It was the first time she took note of what they were talking about. It piqued her interest.
"Sure, any reporter with some smarts would find it somehow. Your slip of the tongue led me to it. "
"You'd just be making sure no one else found out about it—"
"You already had a media frenzy on your personal life just last month–you don't think no one's lookin'. 'Cause they are – or they will be."
She took a moment before answering, her face gave away nothing. "No other reporters."
"Yes."
"No other reporters."
Present
Brock spoke in what was now a smoke cloud around him. "I'd call her and tell her what was going on. I'd also get quotes for other stories. I was the senior White House reporter, I got the exclusives with the Chief of Staff, the President, the Press Secretary. That was my place there, a nice gaping hole left by you— Thank you very much." He paused. "Only….." He paused and lowered his head. "After about a month I couldn't find anything else…no new information- it was like someone else had been there before me, or there wasn't any information to find—I don't know. It wasn't there." He paused. "I didn't have any information, but I told her…" He didn't look very happy with himself. "I told her I did. I told her there was still a trail. I didn't blackmail her. I didn't say I had information, I just….I made excuses to talk to her, I told her I still was looking. I told her I still had leads."
June 20th 7:22am
(From ARMS: White House Phone Logs:)
(C.J. Cregg patches through a call to Greg Brock on his cell phone. Margaret does not patch the call through.)
Greg Brock answered his cell phone to find C.J. Cregg on the other end.
"You know, I thought we were friends here, I really did?" she spoke with venom.
"We are."
"Your headline today doesn't seem so friendly."
"Hey, I'm just doin' my job here. You wouldn't want me to stop doing my job. I do you favors, that doesn't mean I don't do my job."
Margaret walked into the office. "You made a call with out me?" Margaret questioned. "You really shouldn't be making any calls without me–"
"Oh... it's just Greg Brock," she said with some disgust. She looked at Margaret, but was really talking to Brock. "Who's story today in the NY Times—" She went back to Brock with her best sarcastic tone. "And you won't mind here if I put my job over our friendship here — in this situation of course—and just, you know, do my own job—but that article was totally outta left field and I'm not afraid to say so from me and the President...off the record of course." She took a breath.
Margaret walked out of the office and C.J. watched her walk out. The door was shut.
"How are those favors we talked about going?" She took her finger and pushed her hair out of her face.
"Ahhh...still working on a few leads." He looked away from his phone. "I'll keep you posted." He sounded distracted.
PRESENT
"You called her three times – four days before you were leaked the information.? What happened?"
"June 27th?"
"Yeah."
"I went to tell her the truth."
June 27th Of This year
Office of C.J. Cregg -COS
One call down, two to go.
Brock walked in to C.J.'s office to find C.J. talking to Margaret.
Margaret smiled, took a folder from C.J. and excited the office.
C.J. went right into talking, "I know you said on the phone you needed to talk to me about this today, so I can give you a few quotes for your article, but the President isn't talking directly on the subject." C.J. told him like it was old hat. "So, I guess you just get some more of me, then." C.J. smiled.. She sat down on the couch with a mound of paperwork in front of her on the coffee table.
"Just like before."
"Just like always," she joked. "I think I've seen your face more than I've actually seen my own apartment."
"Can I close the door?"
"Yeah?"
He closed the door.
"I wanted to tell you it was over."
"Over?"
"The path is dry. I don't think you'll be having anymore reporters knocking at your door," he laughed. He walked over and sat down next to her.
"No one else will find it?" she said calmly.
"No, I don't think." There was a pause.
"I appreciate what you've done."
"My pleasure." There was a pause. "So, lead deposits?" He took out his notebook.
"Yes." She moved her hair away from her face. "The President is working on it, we know it's-" she leaned toward the coffee table for a paper. "I have some statistics for you."
And Greg leaned in and kissed C.J.
She repelled back in shock.
"What was that?" She stood up from the couch.
"I just thought-"- He stood with his hands out to explain himself.
"Well….you thought wrong," she demanded and walked toward her desk. She looked flustered and awkward, nervous almost.
"We've been spending so much time together-" He seemed so sure.
"On a story- -this is work."
"I know you have a thing for reporters-I just figured."
"I don't." She was offended
"I know things got personal with Danny–" he said as if to tell her it was all right.
"There was nothing -"
"I just thought...we've been spending so much time together- we get along."
"I'm the Press Secretary!" she exclaimed.
"Not anymore, C.J.?" he said with a question. She looked very shocked either by what he'd said or what she'd said.
Margaret opened the door, "Is something wrong?"
"No." C.J. said matter-of-factly. "Greg was just leaving." She tried to busy herself at her desk.
"Yeah." Greg lowered his head and walked past the desk. I'm sorry." He lowered his head. "I…I thought—" He knew he couldn't say much. "I'm sorry," he said softly. He paused by the door and took in some confidence. "By the way," he paused and spoke in anger. "Nice Fish." And he left her office.
PRESENT
Brock wouldn't look at Danny, "Stupid, I know." He paused and put out the butt of his cigarette on the table. "I thought if she'd had a thing for you she could have a thing for me, why not? And she wasn't the Press Secretary anymore, who cared. But, I guess she'd rather banter with you than be alone with me, huh?" he took a pause. "So, I think that's the real answer to your question." He leaned back. "No…." He took his time. "She didn't sleep with me." He leaned back. "So, you can rest easy now, Concannon."
Danny took a small breath.
"No need to thank me," Brock said. He lowered his face and scratched the back of his head from behind.
Danny saw the pain he shared with Brock. He saw the other side of the mirror. Danny turned around to walk out.
"I called her to say I was sorry," Brock called out. "The two times that day. I called her to tell her I was sorry. It took two calls." Brock paused. "By the end of the second call I think she actually thanked me for my help. After all that, she still felt I did her some kind of favor." He laughed at himself. "When all I did was lie to her." Nothing was said for a moment. Brock looked almost hurt by his own actions. "I didn't know I'd get another call from the White House four days later. When I took the call, I thought it was her. But it wasn't."
Danny and Brock stared each other down. Neither knew what else to say.
The door to the room opened and an officer came in. It was time for Danny to go. Danny looked at Brock one last time and tipped his head. Brock was ushered toward him and Brock nodded, like two soldiers in the same war.
Brock passed Danny and a thought came to his head.
"The note?" Danny asked. "I said I'd take a note for your kid." He watched the guard lead Brock out.
"Time's up, Brock," the guard said.
"Next time, right?" Brock smiled cockily in the doorway "Gotta go back to the spa." Brock took out a cigarette and lit it. He started to hum. He paused. "So who ya think'll play me in the TV movie?" Brock joked before chuckling to himself. He took a few steps away from Danny and then turned to him."You know, you're a lucky man there, Concannon." Brock called after him. "We should all be so lucky," he said snidely. And they took him away.
C.J.
"Name your source."
Brock.
"I always liked you in that suit.
—The Mommy Problem
END OF CHAPTER THREE
