On The Road With Danny Concannon: '05-'06
"Last Holiday"
Companion Episode: "The Last Hurrah"
Notes: Welcome to the season seven "christmas episode" -- please feedback. Thank you.
How lucky can one guy be;
I kissed her and she kissed me
Like the fella once said,
Ain't that a kick in the head?...
Like the sailor said, quote,
"Ain't that a hole in the boat?"
My head keeps spinning;
I go to sleep and keep grinning;
If this is just the beginning,
My life's gonna be beautiful.
–Ain't that a kick in the head Dean Martin
Two Days before Christmas
2005
Danny Concannon walked down the hallway of the White House with pride and excitement. His first Christmas with C.J. and her last one in the White house. It was a grand holiday for all. Christmas in the White House was always a special thing. He remember his and C.J.'s first Christmas together, in the White House, good and bad, and his last fifteen years of Christmas in the hallowed halls, the good and the bad.
Danny still wore his jacket, as he walked toward C.J.'s office, his hands in his pockets. He smiled as he past the people and the holiday decorations. He hummed a Dean Martin song to himself in all his enjoyment. He felt good.
Danny turned a corner into Margaret's office, which was empty and he walked right into C.J.'s office.
"Hey." C.J. looked surprised to see him.
"Hey." He smiled. He didn't even look like he was going to kiss her, but C.J. moved past him fast.
"Not at the office, okay."
"What? People know."
Margaret entered. "I know."
"Margaret knows," he smiled.
C.J. got a little quiet. "I know that. I'm just a very private person."
Margaret handed C.J. a folder.
"Especially here, " she said in a hushed tone.
Margaret walked out of the room.
"Considering the situation."
"No problem." Danny smiled.
"Were you in the building for something?" She did her uneasy smile.
"Yeah... but I really came by to give you one last shot."
"Danny..."
"One last chance to spend Christmas with me. I'm really easy to take care of. I clean up after myself."
She gave him a sly smile.
"Before I make my final plans. Before I fly off into the sunset."
"You'll be back next week," she smirked and walked around the front of her desk.
"Or not." Danny followed her. "We really don't know that..." he smirked. "One last chance to claim me." He raised his eyebrows at her and stopped in his tracks.
C.J. faced him. "Danny, I don't know if I'll even be free until that night."
"I have no problem with that." He walked closer to her.
"It doesn't seem fair to keep you away from your family—"
"I have no problem with that either—" He gave her those sexy eyes.
"Danny, I won't know if I'm even free until a few hours before the night ends and then I could get called away — you should be with your family..."
"I wanna spend it with you." He was now standing in front of her and her desk.
"No, really... thank you. Really. But, it's not fair to you, I really think so."
"What about you?"
"Well, usually I spend it with my brother, but since Hogan's at school he meets her halfway in Dayton." She smiled. "So, I guess that makes me the poor little match girl, this Christmas," she said sarcastically.
"And here I am in need of matches." He sauntered a few inches closer to her and raised his eye brows. Their faces were inches from each other.
"I'll be fine. It's not fair to keep you."
"You sure?" he tilted his head at her.
"Yes," she smiled. "I'm sure."
"Well, you still have until tomorrow night to change your mind," he nodded his head. He looked very disappointed.
"I won't," she smiled sweetly. "But, thank you–you're sweet."
"I was also hoping to give you your Christmas present– since we really don't know when I'll see you next---" he insinuated toward their months of mis-adventures. "Although dating a super hero does have its added benefits..."
"You got me a gift?"
"Yeah.."
"Oh, Danny—I didn't know we were—I mean I figured we wouldn't be..." She felt so terrible. "I didn't get you anything."
"I don't need anything, " he said very sweetly and honest.
"I still feel bad–I didn't think we were—"
"Don't.--Don't feel bad. I like the gifts that can't be wrapped anyway." He handed her a small box.
She grinned and took the gift. "It's not another goldfish, is it?"
"No, I think three goldfish-themed gifts is my limit." He smiled. "No more goldfish related gifts I promise." He waited for her to open it with a sweet warm face. "Well, open it."
"Oh. Sorry..." She opened the box and pulled out its contents: a large square locket in sliver with a mother of pearl face. "Danny, it's beautiful."
"Open it," he said with the sense of pride.
C.J. went to put down the box and Danny helped her with it by placing the box on her desk for her while she opened the locket. She was more than touched at what she found.
"I found the picture of your mother in your wallet–I hope you don't mind."
"No, no. I don't." She was very taken back by the entire gesture.
"I'm sorry..." Kate walked in from the side exit holding a folder.
C.J.'s eyes shot open and she looked toward Kate with her mouth semi-open.
"I'm interrupting something. I can go." Kate backed away.
"No. No. Come in." C.J. insisted. She closed the locket.
"Hello..." Kate smiled at Danny.
"Hi. " Danny smiled back waiting to be introduced.
C.J. realized the pause had to be filled. "Oh, sorry. Kate Harper-- Deputy NSA. Danny Concannon."
Danny and Kate smiled and nodded their heads.
"I've heard so much about you." Kate smiled.
Danny laughed. He didn't get it.
Kate gave C.J. a look and a smile.
C.J. gave her a look to stop.
"I can go, really, it's not important, really..." Kate made her way out of the office.
Danny looked back at C.J.
Over Danny's shoulder Kate mouthed, "Nice work."
C.J. waved her off.
Danny turned his head toward the side exit, but Kate was gone. Danny looked back and grinned at C.J. in a fun, suspicious way.
C.J. started to open her mouth to speak again, the necklace still in her hand, when the door to the Oval opened.
Bartlet walked in holding his reading glasses and a briefing book.
Danny and C.J. turned toward the President. C.J. looked like she'd been caught at something.
"Danny." Jed was surprised to see him.
"Mr. President." Danny smiled.
"Danny, nice to see you." Bartlet had that look of happy nostalgia on his face.
"You too, Sir."
"I never got to thank you for that wonderful article you wrote on Leo last month."
"Well, it was heartfelt, sir."
"That's a lovely piece of jewelry, there." He motioned to the necklace still in C.J.'s hand. He smiled at Danny.
"Danny, was just–—" C.J. felt awkward.
"I was just leaving." Danny motioned toward the door.
C.J. placed the necklace back in it's box.
"Please, don't leave on my account. We don't get many happy visitors around here," Jed laughed.
"No, I was really just leaving." He tipped his head. "Mr. President. Nice to see you."
"Danny." Bartlet smiled and Danny was gone.
Bartlet watched where Danny had exited. He turned to C.J. "C.J., Danny doesn't have to leave on my account..."
"I wasn't, sir..."
"You're both adults."
"I just...I don't feel —" She placed the box in her purse.
"It's right for the office?" He finished her sentence.
She looked at him. "No, sir. I don't."
"You know if it were any other reporter I might put the nix on it..." He smiled slyly showing her he was kidding.. "But Danny's a good guy." He motioned with his briefing book. "It's nice to have a familiar face around here, around Christmas. Makes me think just maybe it could be the way it used to be."
C.J. smiled bittersweetly.
"I'm trying to figure out, for myself, if it doesn't feel like the Christmas of old because it's our last one here or because..." he trailed off and there was a silence.
"Yes, sir." C.J. understood.
"It just seems so quiet." He paused. "Well, anyway..." he trailed off. "I was just looking for that depletion report. I can't find it."
"I have it, sir." C.J. took a folder and walked over to the President.
"What are you doing for Christmas, Claudia Jean? You spending it with, Danny?" he asked in a melancholy way.
"He's going to his sister's." She handed the President the folder.
Bartlet smiled and took the report. "How about you? What are you doing?"
"I'll probably be here, sir."
"You should come to Manchester with us," he asked with a smile and a wave of his hand.
"I can't, sir." She was firm with a slight smile.
"No, really. We'd love it. Ellie's coming up with Vic—"
"I can't, sir," she stressed.
"Ahh, yeah..." he nodded his head. Bartlet got it. "Doesn't seem fair I get to jet off to the big city while the field mice stay here and tend to the farm."
"All part of the job, sir."
"Yeah..." he laughed. "Not what you bargained for when you signed up for this ride, is it, kid?"
"All part of a day's work, sir." She gave him a sly smile.
"You call your family on Christmas. Tell them you're okay." He felt guilty for taking her away from her family. But a country at war was a country at war.
"I will, sir." She smiled.
Bartlet walked toward his office..
C.J. went back to her desk and started to do work.
Jed turned at the door to his office. "C.J., how is your father doing?" Bartlet asked with pure concern.
C.J. smiled one of her fake smiles from behind her desk. "Just fine, sir."
"Ahh...yeah..." He smiled a little and nodded his head. If C.J. didn't want to talk about it, Bartlet would oblige her. He would play into the game."Send him my regards."
"I will, sir."
Bartlet lowered his head and walked back into his office. He had that feeling he felt when the last of his children had moved out of the house.
C.J. went back to her work.
Margaret walked in and handed C.J. some papers. "You're just letting him go aren't you?"
"I"m sorry?" C.J. looked up to see Margaret standing in front of her.
"I'm not really the kind of secretary who puts her nose into her boss's personal life--- maybe so many years working for Leo, all business all the time, you know, but I'm very old school that way."
"That's good to know..." C.J. flipped a page and kept reading.
"I'm not like Carol, in that way– I mean. I know she's very into living vicariously through other people– a lot of woman are." She leaned in a little and pointed to herself for a moment. "I on the other hand am pretty happy with my own life, I don't need to live, you know, through someone else. I just don't. I'm very content." She nodded her head.
"Well..." C.J.looked up at Margaret and smiled awkwardly. "That's great." C.J. went back at her papers.
"But..."
C.J. looked up with an irrated face.
"I think you're making a mistake."
"I'm sorry?" she stressed as if to say this is none of your business.
"He's asking you to tell him not to go, you do get that do you? He actually doesn't want to go. You're not very good at knowing the signs."
"Do you see that I'm actually doing work here, that I have things to do. I don't have time to have this very odd conservation directly out of Beverly Hills 902..." She gestured with her hand looking for the number.
"One O." Margaret finished her sentence
C.J. gave her a bad look..
"It's just one day."
C.J. took a large breath and went back to her briefing book.
"Odds are World War Three isn't just gonna start on—"
"He has a family to go to, " C.J. snapped at Margaret. "If I didn't have to work here, I'd have a family to go to...I mean I'd go to my family... I really don't think it's very fair of me to ask the man I'm with to waitby the phone for me, on the off chance I might have a couple of hours to spend with him, and have him miss spending Christmas with his own family. I'm not that kind of girl." She tried to go back to her work.
"Yeah, cause nothing says Christmas fun like being the single unmarried uncle watching his nieces and nephews opening presents on Christmas Eve with their family while your own loved one is miles away in a whole other state. Yeah, that never to seems to bring my spirts up."
She looked up. "Are we done, here?"
"Ahh, yeah... and you have Miles Hutchinson on line one."
"All this time!" She sent her hands up with her disgust.
"I forgot."
"Margaret!" she sighed and went for the phone.
Margaret left the office.
C.J. picked up the phone. "He's not there!" she yelled to Margaret.
"I'll see if I can find him again."
"Yes, do that." She looked exasperated.
Her phone light went on. C.J. hit the line. "Danny's on line one." Margaret's voice came over the line.
C.J. hit the speaker phone. "You're on speaker phone."
"Thanks for the heads-up." Danny's raspy voice was heard through the speaker.
"I can't talk long, I'm waiting for a phone call. What's up?" She looked through some of her papers.
"Listen, I just wanted to let you know I got myself a flight out at eight tonight."
"Okay.." She paused. "That's great."
"Maisy got me a deal if I fly out tonight." He paused. "I just wanted you to know since I won't be home tonight if you were planning on..."
"Duly noted." She took a folder and set it on top of another folder.
"Merry Christmas, C.J."
"Same to you, Danny." She smiled. She looked at the phone for a moment. She picked up the phone. "I'll see you when you get back."
But, he wasn't there. C.J. took a breath. She hung up the phone and looked at it strange.
Margaret walked in. "I couldn't get him back?"
"Danny?"
"Miles Hutchinson."
"Oh, just keep trying..." C.J. looked like she was off somewhere, but after a moment she came back. "Is Will in his office?"
"Yeah."
C.J. stood up and walked toward her side door.
"I thought we were used to the people comingto you now. You don't go to them, remember."
"I need to stretch my legs." She smiled and she was out the door.
C.J. walked into the communication's office to find it empty except for the Christmas decorations. She saw Kate and Will in his office and then her mouth figuratively dropped open. They kissed. And not just a peck.
C.J. lowered her head and looked away. She smiled and looked back."Will Bailey," she said to herself with a gleeful smile.
They noticed C.J.
C.J. waved and grinned.
"Hi..." Kate awkwardly walked out of Will's office. "We can explain."
Will came up behind her. "We didn't think anyone was here."
"Elaboration not needed," C.J. assured them.
"There was mistletoe. Things ensued..." Will was getting away from himself.
Kate gave him an awful look.
"Sorry, I was kidding." He looked at the woman.
"It's fine really." C.J. didn't seem to care. "Just don't let it happen around the office...again." She felt weird saying it, but she had to.
"Of course. We never do." Kate looked down and played with her nails. She felt ridiculous.
"This from a woman finally dating Danny Concannon." Will remarked. He never learned.
C.J. gave him a cross look.
"And when I say that, I mean how happy we all here in the press club-house are for you two little rascals." He had a trace of sarcasm in his voice.
"Don't push it, Bailey."
"Did you need to see me?" Will asked.
"The Pops?" C.J. asked.
"Boston? As in the Boston Pops?"
"Yes..."
"They have been replaced by the St. Louis Pops. All is well." He really was very giddy.
"There's a St. Louis Pops?"
"Everyone has a Pops? Well, I guess maybe not Newark."
"The Newark Pops, I like the sound of that..." Kate joked.
"Well, thanks..." He looked at her with a smile.
C.J. cleared her throat.
Will went on with his work. "Sorry.. .so the St. Louis Pops will be performing, I crossed the T's, I put all the lumps of coal in the stocking of everyone at theStateDepartment and made sure none of the ornaments on the Christmas tree were made by hand by little slave children in a small fishing nation. I am done. I have saved Christmas. I can call it a night." His fun and sarcasm was not lost on the group.
"You too..?" she insinuated.
They looked at each other.
"Ahhh..." Will laughed.
Kate smiled, "I guess we are. We're something."
"Well, I'm touched. She called me her something for the first time." Will smiled.
"That's all great, but I have enough to deal without finding out the status of your relationship. No offense."
"None taken," Kate remarked.
"Same here." Will smiled. "I'd hope you had more important things to..." Will's phone rang. "Excuse me. Duty calls for the savior of Christmas." He ran back into his office.
"What were you asking?"
"What are your plans tomorrow? I'll probably be here anyway, we could get a bottle of wine. I once cooked a turkey, I could try again."
"I'm kinda spending it with Will."
"Will doesn't have a family to go to?"
"You assumed I didn't?" she was offended.
"No, no. I just figured you and I would be on call, we had to be here. Will doesn't have anything to do. Unless there's a choral emergency with the Harlem Boys Choir."
"You have a weird disdain for what used to be your job."
"Love and hate go hand and hand, baby."
"No, he's staying here. We decided to spend it together."
"You're not afraid you could get called in out of the deep blue sea and leave him stranded?"
"He knows the drill. If it's okay with him, it's okay with me."
"Yeah..." C.J. was off somewhere. She folded her arms. She motioned with her head for Kate to come closer.
Kate came closer. "Yeah?"
"When you had someone back home, and you couldn't be with them, around this time, and you had to spend the holiday alone with your happy family members while they revelled in their own family togetherness it kinda..."
"sucked."
"Big time, right?"
"Yeah..."
"That's what I thought..." She paused for a moment. She looked like she had something going on in her head. "Excuse me."
C.J. walked to her office. She walked in almost holding herself. She started to pace back and forth in the office. She took a breath.
"No, no..." She threw it off and went to her desk.
Margaret came in."Miles Hutchinson called back, he said it's not important –he had to leave for his holiday plans, he'll call back Monday."
"Okay..." she trailed off and sat herself down in her chair.
Margaret gave C.J. a funny look and walked out of the office.
C.J. started to pat her finger on the edge of the desk. She did this about five times. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Then she took sight of Gail. She took a deep breath. She kept on looking.
There was a large pause.
"Margaret!" C.J. stood up from her seat with a smile and went for her coat.
Margaret ran in. "You have sixteen minutes, you can still make it – he should be leaving for the airport about now."
C.J. gave her a look.
"I just know these things."
C.J. wrapped her scarf around herself. "Can you make sure..."
"Yes, yes...go, go...I have your beeper..."
C.J. smiled awkwardly. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Fifteen minutes, now." Margaret took C.J.'s bag and handed it to her.
C.J. took the bag and took long strides out of her office.
Ten minutes later. The Home Of Danny Concannon
Danny opened the front door of the building. It was cold and he tucked his scarf into his jacket. He set his bag on the ground and looked out for his cab. A cab was not what he saw.
Instead he saw a black suburban drive up.
Danny knew what that meant.
The car stopped and an agent opened the door for C.J.
"Don't go, wait..." She ran out of the car and toward the stoop. "Don't go." She ran up the steps to face him on the top stoop.
Danny had a huge smile on his face.
"I didn't get the signs. I didn't get it. I get it now..." She reached the top of the stoop. "I want you to stay..."
He smiled.
She kissed him.
He kissed her back. It was a huge passionate kiss. There was nothing like the woman he loved expressing a need or want for him that turned the man on to no end. Her being strong and taking a stand, he liked that. She needed him, he liked that. He liked it all.
They broke apart and he just stared at her, speechless, his right arm around her waist. His head bobbed a little and she smiled, looking into his eyes.
"Danny?" she smiled.
"Yeah..." he said with that look on his face.
"Are we going inside?" she asked.
"Yeah..." his voice was soft and sexy.
"You have to let the agent..." She pointed toward the door.
"Oh..." he laughed, now getting it.
"In..." She finished her sentence.
"Yeah..." he laughed. "Yeah..." He chuckled, feeling embarrassed.
C.J. smiled shyly and laughed on his shoulder.
"Yeah..." he took a breath and opened the front door for the agent.
New Years Day
2006
2 AM
Fly me to the moon played on the CD player, Sinatra, old school, C.J.'s favorite. The room was lit by what looked like only about a thousand candles, burned down to more than half their size, a mess of different colored wax.
The music mixed with the sounds of a couple in a the throws of a celebrated mutual passion. The light reflected against Danny's bare freckled back. After a moment, the song ended and they both led out a breath, a heavy, satisfied breath. Danny kissed her and made his way down her neck and body.
"Happy New Year." C.J.'s voice was head, her entire body covered by Danny's body above her.
"I think we missed New Year's." He kissed her shoulder and rolled over next to her in a state of utter exhaustion.
"Did we?" she said in a total haze. " She smiled her toothy smile.
New Years Eve
2005
Hours earlier
C.J., a little tipsy, wearing a giddy smile, dressed in a fabulous red dress, grabbed hold of a champaign bottle off a small table and made her way out of the room at a fast walking pace. Kate saw her take two champaign glasses from the door.
C.J. walked down the hall toward her office, looking like a little girl on Christmas. She even hummed. She reached her office and walked in.
"You're done?" Margaret poked her head in, dressed in a lovely Margaret-like dress.
"Yesss..." C.J. whipped around. "I am done. You are done. We're all done. Go home Margaret–or stay here and enjoy the party, I don't care." She set the bottle and the glasses on her desk and grabbed her coat. "The President has gone to sleep and I..." She trailed off. "Will not finish that sentence." She smiled huge as she took hold of the glasses and the bottle. "Oh, damn...can you get my..." She motioned toward her scarf.
Margaret took the scarf and threw it around C.J. It covered C.J.'s face and she motioned with her head for Margaret to move it. Margaret moved the scarf lower and away from her mouth.
C.J. smiled and was out the door.
The Home Of Danny Concannon
The agent left the apartment and C.J. burst in, she looked around, but no Danny. He had answered the door and now he seemed to have disappeared. It was a small apartment, he had to be there somewhere.
She put down the glasses and the bottle, on the table near the door and threw off her coat along with her gloves.
"Danny?" she yelled as she took the glasses and the bottle and walked toward the bedroom.
She found him dressed in a tux, his tie around his neck, standing by the window, looking out, in the moon light. The room was filled with burning candles.
"I brought gifts," she said with glee. She made her way, in her tipsy stupor, over to Danny. "Hey." She kissed him and put the bottle of champaign down on the window sill. She then took a glass in each hand and waved them in Danny's direction.
Danny took them. He didn't take his eyes off her or say a word.
C.J. smiled her toothy smith and grabbed hold of the champaign bottle. "It's already opened..." She poured the one glass. "Which is good since if I tried to open it I'd shoot your eye out." She laughed and poured the other glass. "I swiped it off the table of one of the ambassadors–" she laughed. "Germany, I think." She giggled. She took one of the glasses from Danny's hand. "To..." She looked for something to toast to. She took a heavy breath and tossed her hair from her face. "To a whole new year." She smiled.
"A whole new year," he said softly.
They both drank.
C.J. smiled and took the drink from his hand. She placed the drink, along with her own, on the window sill. "Come on." She took his hand and led him away from the window and in the direction of the bed.
He shook his head. "Wait," he said softly. His eyes were sincere and soft.
C.J. smiled, off center and walked back in front of him.
"What?' she giggled.
"I just..." Danny smoothed his hands over her arms.
She looked at him with a question mark look. "Do you smell like bourbon?" she laughed. "Someone had a little too much fun at the Washington Post party..."
"I didn't go," he said softly.
"What?" She looked around. "Did you do all this?" She noticed all the flickering candles.
"About an hour ago, I didn't know when you were coming..."
"Well, either did I. We talked about this..." She smiled. "But, in about three weeks we won't have to deal with any of this, I promise."
"I know..." He looked into her eyes. Listen...I know you have your heart set on not going to the inaugural balls..."
"Danny..." she sighed sweetly and looked away for a short moment. "I just... I know you want to take me but it's just not anything I want to go to... it's not about you and us. I'm fine with that. Let them think what they want, I don't care. But I really don't wanna go to that thing, not now, not on that day."
"I understand..."
"But, you can take me any place you want after that..." She pulled him toward the bed with a smile and her tug of his hand.
"Wait...not yet..." He stopped her with his soft words.
"Danny?" She looked at him strangely.
"I just don't know when I'm ever gonna get a chance to see you in a dress like this again."
"I think the point is to get me out of the dress." She walked up to him.
"Dance with me?"
"What?"
"I wanna dance with you. Dressed like this. Dance with me?" His voice was raspy and sweet.
"Danny..." She got awkward and shy. She looked away for a moment.
"Just humor me..."
"Dance with you?"
"Yeah..." He took her other hand and pulled her closer.
"Okay." She smiled her shy toothy smile. "I think we need music."
"I got that." He leaned back and hit a small CD player. Always by Frank Sinatra came into the room.
She smiled.
Danny took her in close to him and they danced by the moonlight from the window.
She smiled at first, but soon she took on the serious look that Danny was giving her. They didn't say a thing. They just danced.
After a moment, or two, C.J. took his hand and walked backwards toward the bed.
At the side of the bed, she sat down on the edge.
Danny paused and looked at her.
When he didn't come forward she stood up and took a step toward him with a smile. She turned around. She lifted her hair.
Danny ran his hands over the back of her neck and unzipped her dress. She walked toward the bed. Danny took a breath and followed her. As he always did.
I'll be lovin' you, always
With a love that's true, always
When the things you've planned need a helpin' hand
I will understand always, always
Days may not be fair, always
That's when I'll be there, always
Not for just an hour, not for just a day
Not for just a year but always
ALWAYS- –Frank Sinatra
THE END OF CHAPTER 21