Part 6
Eric was telling CJ about his childhood. How he managed to grow up without his parents and how he got passed it. It was their second date and CJ knew she already had strong feelings for him.
"But now, we shouldn't talk about me anymore. Tell me about you, Claudia Jean." He took her hand over the table.
Eric had asked CJ if he could call her by her full name. He thought CJ sounded too professional and he loved to say her name. At first she hadn't been comfortable with it, but now she would object if he didn't. When he did, it made her feel less like the press secretary CJ Cregg and more like the woman Claudia Jean Cregg.
"What can I tell you?" She laughed when she realized what a boring life she had.
At least outside the White House, which by the way hadn't existed before Eric walked into her life.
"Claudia Jean, sweetie, you work in the White House, you're working next to the President of the United States every day. I bet you have a very interesting life."
"Yes, but outside the White House..." She trailed off and smiled.
"Okay, change of subject. Have you ever been married?"
"No, you?"
Eric smiled and shock his head.
"I haven't met the right person yet." He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles and looked deeply into her eyes, which made her blush. "What about you?"
CJ looked at him, she wanted to tell him the same, but she just couldn't. She had met the right person about twenty years ago, but he didn't want her.
"I don't know. I haven't believed in marriages. Not before I met you." That much she could give him and he seemed content with her answer.
"I bet you've turned down a hundred of proposals." He kissed her knuckles again.
That was true. Okay, maybe not a hundred, but she had turned down a lot of proposals.
"I hope you won't turn down mine when I propose to you."
CJ couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Then suddenly he let go of her hand and leaned back against the chair uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry. I've embarrassed you. And I've scared you. I'm moving too fast, ain't I?"
CJ reached out to take his hand and she smiled at him.
"Eric, you haven't scared me. I just... honestly do you see us together in the future?"
"Yes, I do, Claudia Jean." He looked deeply into her eyes. "I've only known you for a week and I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I understand if you don't feel the same yet, but I'll wait for you."
She smiled at him, before letting go of his hand and starting with her desert.
* * * * *
The cab stopped and CJ looked out the window. They were outside her building. She kissed Eric for a long time before forcing herself to stop. She grinned at him.
"I'll follow you to the door." He stepped out of the cab, walked over to the other side and held out his hand to her.
"Thanks."
He didn't let go of her hand until they were standing outside the door. He put his arms around her and kissed her again. When he let go CJ saw what he wanted. He was almost begging her with his eyes, but she knew she had to turn him down. Not just yet. She couldn't ask him in. It was too early. Instead, she gave him a quick kiss before opening the door.
"Call me when you get home."
"Count on it."
* * * * *
"Seriously, what is up with this guy?" Carol was carrying a huge bouquet with red and white flowers and placed the vase on the table in front of the couch.
When she had put the vase down she looked at her boss's behind the desk. She was grinning at Carol. Carol looked around in the office. In every corner that had space was a huge bouquet of flowers. It wasn't just roses, it was all kinds and in all colors.
"He really has it bad for you, boss."
"Nah, he just wants to sleep with me." CJ grinned.
"What? You're telling me you haven't done it yet? I guess, someone will be lucky tonight."
"Carol!" CJ tried to sound serious but she couldn't hide her smile. "Could you go to Sam's office and leave him this note?"
Carol took the note and walked away.
* * * * *
Sam was sitting in his office, writing on his laptop when he heard female voices outside in the bullpen and giggles. He stopped writing and let the giggles lead the way. Around Ginger's desk were Ginger, Bonnie, Carol, Donna and Margaret. He walked over to them.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, the reason I came here!" Carol handed out a note to Sam.
Sam took the note without reading it.
"Seriously, what's so funny?" He hated to be out of the loop.
"CJ has opened a flower store in her office." Donna giggled.
"Excuse me?"
"Yup, the guy she's seeing has filled her office with beautiful flower arrangements!" Carol filled in.
* * * * *
Toby was leaning against the doorframe. Just as Sam he wanted to see what the secretaries were giggling over. When he heard them mention CJ's name and 'the guy she's seeing' he stopped in the door. No one had noticed him yet. He didn't want to hear about this, if you could believe the secretaries, amazing and romantic man, but he couldn't close the door to his office.
"CJ is a very lucky lady," Bonnie said.
"She certainly is," Ginger said. "He's a doctor who works for free! He's tall, handsome, it's like a book of Danielle Steele!"
"But no one should say she doesn't deserve it," Carol said. "I mean, with her track of men... I really hope she has found the one now."
The girls began to giggle again and that was it for Toby. He walked back to his desk and tried to focus on a draft. Just a minute later he heard someone close his door. He looked up and noticed Sam.
"What's up?" Toby took a deep breath.
"I saw you out there. When was the last time you talked to CJ?"
"This morning in staff."
"Toby, you know what I mean."
"What does it matter?"
"You never went to her after we talked in my office."
"No, I didn't Sam." Toby sighed. "And you know why? Because I heard her telling Carol about this amazing Eric. Sam, she should be with him. He can give her everything I can't."
"Except the one thing she wants the most."
"And what's that?"
"Toby, you're a smart man. You know the answer to that."
It was quiet for a while. Then Toby walked over to the couch and sat down next to Sam. "Sam, I can't tell her now. She's happy. I'm not going to make her unhappy. Not again."
Sam slowly nodded, realizing that nothing could change Toby's mind.
"It's sad tough," Sam almost whispered.
"Yea, it is." Toby sighed, once again.
* * * * *
Eric got his reward later that night. After dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in D.C. CJ invited him into her apartment. She was surprised when she realized that it was something she actually wanted to do. She wanted him to come in with her. She wanted him to be the man she shared bed with. She wanted to wake up feeling his arms around her. She wanted to know he was there, waiting for her when she got home. And that's when she realized how strong feelings she had for him.
TBC.
Eric was telling CJ about his childhood. How he managed to grow up without his parents and how he got passed it. It was their second date and CJ knew she already had strong feelings for him.
"But now, we shouldn't talk about me anymore. Tell me about you, Claudia Jean." He took her hand over the table.
Eric had asked CJ if he could call her by her full name. He thought CJ sounded too professional and he loved to say her name. At first she hadn't been comfortable with it, but now she would object if he didn't. When he did, it made her feel less like the press secretary CJ Cregg and more like the woman Claudia Jean Cregg.
"What can I tell you?" She laughed when she realized what a boring life she had.
At least outside the White House, which by the way hadn't existed before Eric walked into her life.
"Claudia Jean, sweetie, you work in the White House, you're working next to the President of the United States every day. I bet you have a very interesting life."
"Yes, but outside the White House..." She trailed off and smiled.
"Okay, change of subject. Have you ever been married?"
"No, you?"
Eric smiled and shock his head.
"I haven't met the right person yet." He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles and looked deeply into her eyes, which made her blush. "What about you?"
CJ looked at him, she wanted to tell him the same, but she just couldn't. She had met the right person about twenty years ago, but he didn't want her.
"I don't know. I haven't believed in marriages. Not before I met you." That much she could give him and he seemed content with her answer.
"I bet you've turned down a hundred of proposals." He kissed her knuckles again.
That was true. Okay, maybe not a hundred, but she had turned down a lot of proposals.
"I hope you won't turn down mine when I propose to you."
CJ couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Then suddenly he let go of her hand and leaned back against the chair uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry. I've embarrassed you. And I've scared you. I'm moving too fast, ain't I?"
CJ reached out to take his hand and she smiled at him.
"Eric, you haven't scared me. I just... honestly do you see us together in the future?"
"Yes, I do, Claudia Jean." He looked deeply into her eyes. "I've only known you for a week and I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I understand if you don't feel the same yet, but I'll wait for you."
She smiled at him, before letting go of his hand and starting with her desert.
* * * * *
The cab stopped and CJ looked out the window. They were outside her building. She kissed Eric for a long time before forcing herself to stop. She grinned at him.
"I'll follow you to the door." He stepped out of the cab, walked over to the other side and held out his hand to her.
"Thanks."
He didn't let go of her hand until they were standing outside the door. He put his arms around her and kissed her again. When he let go CJ saw what he wanted. He was almost begging her with his eyes, but she knew she had to turn him down. Not just yet. She couldn't ask him in. It was too early. Instead, she gave him a quick kiss before opening the door.
"Call me when you get home."
"Count on it."
* * * * *
"Seriously, what is up with this guy?" Carol was carrying a huge bouquet with red and white flowers and placed the vase on the table in front of the couch.
When she had put the vase down she looked at her boss's behind the desk. She was grinning at Carol. Carol looked around in the office. In every corner that had space was a huge bouquet of flowers. It wasn't just roses, it was all kinds and in all colors.
"He really has it bad for you, boss."
"Nah, he just wants to sleep with me." CJ grinned.
"What? You're telling me you haven't done it yet? I guess, someone will be lucky tonight."
"Carol!" CJ tried to sound serious but she couldn't hide her smile. "Could you go to Sam's office and leave him this note?"
Carol took the note and walked away.
* * * * *
Sam was sitting in his office, writing on his laptop when he heard female voices outside in the bullpen and giggles. He stopped writing and let the giggles lead the way. Around Ginger's desk were Ginger, Bonnie, Carol, Donna and Margaret. He walked over to them.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, the reason I came here!" Carol handed out a note to Sam.
Sam took the note without reading it.
"Seriously, what's so funny?" He hated to be out of the loop.
"CJ has opened a flower store in her office." Donna giggled.
"Excuse me?"
"Yup, the guy she's seeing has filled her office with beautiful flower arrangements!" Carol filled in.
* * * * *
Toby was leaning against the doorframe. Just as Sam he wanted to see what the secretaries were giggling over. When he heard them mention CJ's name and 'the guy she's seeing' he stopped in the door. No one had noticed him yet. He didn't want to hear about this, if you could believe the secretaries, amazing and romantic man, but he couldn't close the door to his office.
"CJ is a very lucky lady," Bonnie said.
"She certainly is," Ginger said. "He's a doctor who works for free! He's tall, handsome, it's like a book of Danielle Steele!"
"But no one should say she doesn't deserve it," Carol said. "I mean, with her track of men... I really hope she has found the one now."
The girls began to giggle again and that was it for Toby. He walked back to his desk and tried to focus on a draft. Just a minute later he heard someone close his door. He looked up and noticed Sam.
"What's up?" Toby took a deep breath.
"I saw you out there. When was the last time you talked to CJ?"
"This morning in staff."
"Toby, you know what I mean."
"What does it matter?"
"You never went to her after we talked in my office."
"No, I didn't Sam." Toby sighed. "And you know why? Because I heard her telling Carol about this amazing Eric. Sam, she should be with him. He can give her everything I can't."
"Except the one thing she wants the most."
"And what's that?"
"Toby, you're a smart man. You know the answer to that."
It was quiet for a while. Then Toby walked over to the couch and sat down next to Sam. "Sam, I can't tell her now. She's happy. I'm not going to make her unhappy. Not again."
Sam slowly nodded, realizing that nothing could change Toby's mind.
"It's sad tough," Sam almost whispered.
"Yea, it is." Toby sighed, once again.
* * * * *
Eric got his reward later that night. After dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in D.C. CJ invited him into her apartment. She was surprised when she realized that it was something she actually wanted to do. She wanted him to come in with her. She wanted him to be the man she shared bed with. She wanted to wake up feeling his arms around her. She wanted to know he was there, waiting for her when she got home. And that's when she realized how strong feelings she had for him.
TBC.