Title: Acts if Kindness
Author: Rachelle Sander (SDSUBlondie9@Yahoo.com)
Rating: PG
Pairing: CJ/Danny
Summary: A few act of kindness. Is the purpose a smile or deception?
Disclaimer: Note mine, but I wish!
_____________________________________________________________
The day started out as normal as any other day in the West Wing. He had gotten to his little piece of the pressroom about an hour before the hustle and bustle was to begin. He opened his laptop to check his mail and began the day's activities when something caught his eye. It was a square note card with the letter D printed on the envelope. He opened the card and read:
Goldfish Danny! The crackers?!
Danny placed the card in his breast pocket and went to search for CJ. When he got to her office, Carol informed him that she had stepped out and would not be back until right before the morning briefing. As Danny turned to leave a bouquet of flowers on CJ's desk caught his eye.
"Carol?"
"Yes Danny?"
"Who might those be from?" Danny asked with a twinkle in his eye, knowing it was a long shot that Carol would tell him.
"Danny" Carol said plainly with a look that said wouldn't you like to know.
"Okay okay, I am going back to my little corner of the world."
"Bye Danny"
"Bye Carol" As Danny was beginning his walk back to the pressroom; he decided to detour to his good friend Josh's office.
"Hey Donna!"
"Hi, Danny! What can I do for you?"
"Does Josh have a minute?"
"Hang on let me check? Josh? Can Danny see you?"
"Sure"
"Hey Josh"
"Danny, what's up?"
"Well, Josh I have a favor to ask of you"
"Danny? Am I going to get in trouble with CJ for this?"
"Come on Josh, she will stay mad at me longer than she will stay mad at you. Do a guy a favor!"
"Alright Danny, what is it?"
"Who are the flowers from?"
"Ah the flowers, I wondered how you would feel about those...they are from a guy named Ben."
"Ben, who the hell is Ben?" Danny said getting overly emotional.
"Whoa Danny calm down! He seems to be after her and I think they may have had a thing a while ago, but lately she has been trying really hard to get rid of him."
"So what's different now?"
"Well, Danny I can't say for sure but if I had to guess I would say you!" Danny stood looking at Josh dumbfounded.
"Josh, she has said no every time. Even when I have said you have feelings for me too and all she has had to say is yes, she has said no"
"She has to Danny. Leo, Toby, the President, they spent a lot of time blaming her for everything when you two where a little 'friendlier'"
"She mentioned something about that once, but our conversation got interrupted because she was late for a meeting."
"Well, it got pretty bad Danny. It took her a long time to get them off her case and feel like one of the crew again."
"Damn it! I hate that this stuff is because of me."
"Danny, listen, she knows you care..."
"Care, Josh I love her, it is way past caring."
"Okay, well she knows you love her and she must love you too since she still takes this shit and yet, hmmm she still seems to like you Danny."
"Yeah, I just wish this wasn't so hard."
"Love is hard sometimes Danny."
"Yeah, look Josh..." Danny said staring at his shoes. "I have to go get some work done before the briefing."
"Okay, hey Danny...Hang in there!"
"Yeah...thanks" Danny turned and left Josh's office on autopilot back to his cubicle. He passed right by CJ and didn't even notice.
"Hey Carol?"
"Yes CJ?"
"Has Danny stopped by at all today?" CJ said wondering what was wrong.
"Yes, he was looking for you this morning and I told him you wouldn't be back until right before the morning briefing."
"Oh, okay thanks Carol" CJ walked into her office and closed the door. 'I hope he's ok?' Just as CJ was getting lost in her thoughts, the phone rang and brought her back to reality. 'Back to work' CJ thought as she answered the phone. "Hello"
Danny sat down at his desk and coming out of his trance, he noticed another white card. The envelope identical to the other, opening the card, he read:
Those are nice suspenders!
Danny laughed, she could always make him laugh. Danny sat staring at the card, lost in memories.
"Danny?" Danny looked up and noticed a fellow reporter. "The press briefing is starting."
"Oh, thanks" Danny stuffed the envelope in his pocket with the other one. He rose with his notebook and pen and walked to his seat. He watched as CJ entered the room, she looked as out of it as he felt, but she had such a professional way about her briefings.
This briefing was relatively uneventful and afterward Danny tried to catch up with CJ, but she was nowhere to be found.
Danny decided he needed to get out of the White House. He would go have lunch, although he usually ate at his desk or didn't eat at all, but today a bar, or fast food, or a deli, anything as long as it wasn't here.
CJ saw Danny leave the building and wondered again if he was ok. She had just begun to get lost again in her thoughts again when the phone rang. "Damn, five minutes of peace would be nice" she yelled at the phone.
"Hello"
"Ben, the flowers are lovely, but for the last time, I am not interested."
Danny sat at the bar trying to put together in his head all he had learned from Josh. He thought he knew deep down that CJ cared for him, but lately Danny had felt as if maybe he was wrong. Maybe all the waiting had made her actually forget. 'Of course Josh could be wrong, what if Josh was wrong, what if Ben was CJ's new guy?' Danny's thoughts just kept spiraling out of control. He had to go back to work; he needed to get his mind off this Ben thing. Danny threw some money on the bar and walked back to the White House.
CJ walked into Josh's office and sat down on his cabinet by the door, not saying a word. Josh looked up from his work. "Hey CJ, is there something I can do for you?"
"Yeah, tell me what is going on with Danny!"
"What do you mean, Danny is fine." Josh said very unconvincingly.
"Josh I know you both better than that, there is something wrong with him and you are lying to me about it."
"Listen CJ, he just has some things he needs to work out."
"Well, has he come to you about anything lately?"
"Yes, but CJ if you want to know what is going on, ask him yourself, I am not a relationship counselor."
"Josh, there is no relationship, I am just worried about him".
"Right CJ, of all people I'm not that stupid."
"Yeah, well, I should get back to work."
"Ok, remember CJ, you want to know, ask him."
CJ turned and walked out of Josh's office. 'Ask him...!' She thought about it "ok, I'll ask him."
"What?" Carol asked as CJ strode past her desk. "Ask Who?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Carol looked at CJ a bit puzzled, she was a little worried about her boss, and CJ had been distracted all day. It just wasn't like her.
CJ went into her office and pulled out the white note cards, she wrote a bit of a cryptic message on one and went to put it on Danny's desk.
Danny went back to his desk and low and behold, there was another note sitting on his computer waiting for him. Just the site of it made him smile. He opened the note and read:
You know how I feel about two-lips!
Danny's heart skipped a beat, when he had seen the flowers from Ben on her desk He had decided it was time to play hardball. Danny knew her favorite flower; he had one up on poor old Ben. With a smile, Danny opened his computer and set out to finish the work he had, so his mind would be free when he went to CJ's office to deal with the two-lips situation.
As Danny finished his article, he e-mailed it to his editor and shut down his computer for the night. His nerves where getting the best of him, CJ note was about the flowers, but the way she spelled tulips, gave him butterflies in his stomach, maybe she didn't forget after all.
Danny strode down the corridor to CJ office and lightly rapped on her door.
"Come in"
"Hi" Danny saw that the flowers from Ben had been moved out onto Carol's desk and the flowers from him were next to Gail's bowl on CJ's desk. He tried to hide a grin.
"Hey there. Will you close the door please?"
"Sure, is it going to be okay?"
"Yeah everyone has gone home"
"So, I have come to solve this two-lips thing."
"Really, and how do you think you will go about solving that?"
"Oh I have my ways." Danny started to walk around CJ's desk when the phone rang.
CJ cursed and Danny went to sit on the couch.
"Hello" CJ said clearly annoyed with the interruption. "Ben, I can't really talk right now." CJ paused listen to the other end of the conversation. "Ben, I have a reporter in my office and I am in the middle of business. I have to go." With that, CJ hung up the phone and lifted her head. She showed Danny and awkward smile and said, "So, where were we?"
"Well, let's detour for a minute." Danny sounded now like he was a little angry. "Who is this Ben guy?"
"Danny, we are not together you have no right to be angry."
"Not answering the question...Does that mean you are an item?"
"Danny no..." Danny cut her off.
"Are we over CJ, was it too much for you to wait? Can you just throw me away that easily?" Danny stood up ready to leave.
"Danny..." CJ ran to the door and slammed it with her hand, putting her body in between him and the door.
"Let me go CJ, I thought the notes meant something, I thought maybe..."Danny's voice trailed off as he looked down at his shoes, tears threatened to fall, but he couldn't let her see that.
"Danny, stop this, you have it all wrong."
"Do I CJ...do I really?" He said incredulously. "How am I..." CJ stopped Danny from saying another word by covering his mouth with hers.
"You know what Danny, you should be happy Ben keeps calling me. It has helped me to remember how in love I thought I was with him."
"What..." CJ spoke over Danny's objection.
"I realized that it wasn't love, not like what I feel for you." It was CJ's turn for her voice to turn soft and her eyes to be glued to the ground. "Danny, I....care for you and..."
Before CJ could get another word out of her mouth Danny had pinned he up against the door, he looked straight into her eyes and kissed her with the passion that had been building inside him from the day he met her.
When they finally broke apart, they both had to catch their breaths. CJ finally spoke first, "Danny I don't want that to happen to us".
"You don't want what to happen?"
"I don't want to feel this amazing and then let it go only to have it turn into annoyance and anger."
"CJ I would never let that happen to us, I love you to much and I will never let you go." CJ looked into his eyes and the truth behind his words was overwhelming, he did love her and he would wait as long as it took.
"Danny, I know we have a little problem, but we have to find away to be together, I can't do this anymore without you. When I walk into the pressroom the first thing I do is look to you. When I am getting into bed at night my last though is of your lips on mine."
"CJ you are the smartest, funniest, most beautiful women I know and I wouldn't be the same without you. I went crazy today thinking that maybe Ben had become your new interest." Danny's eyes still had doubt behind them.
"Well, how can I convince you?" CJ said with a smirk. "Maybe this will help." CJ kissed Danny on the cheek.
"Well, that helps a little."
"How about this?" CJ trailed kisses from his cheek down his neck and stopped at the ticklish place right behind his ear.
Danny let out a little giggle, he sounded like a little boy. "Well, that helps a little too, but maybe I should show you how it's done!" Danny took her hand and led her to the couch. He picked her up and placed her on his lap. Trailing kisses down her throat and moving to linger on her ear, CJ let out a moan of approval. He was enjoying this immensely, but he was also beginning to feel sleep seep into his brain. CJ yawned and laid her head on Danny's chest.
"I could stay like this forever Danny, but sleep is catching up with me."
"I know what you mean; maybe we should continue this at home." Danny gave her a big grin. CJ smiled.
"You know what Daniel I think that is a good idea."
"I'll go get the car." CJ packed up her stuff and met Danny at the entrance. CJ got in the car and laced her fingers with his in the middle of the car as they drove to her place.
CJ was lying in bed when Danny walked into the room wearing sweats and a t- shirt.
"My God, you are so beautiful!"
"Come lay down with me Danny."
Danny moved to the bed and climbed under the covers. He wrapped his arm around her waist and as they both let sleep take over, they had smiles on their faces.
"I love you Danny!"
"And I love you Claudia!"
________________________________
The End! What do you think?
Author: Rachelle Sander (SDSUBlondie9@Yahoo.com)
Rating: PG
Pairing: CJ/Danny
Summary: A few act of kindness. Is the purpose a smile or deception?
Disclaimer: Note mine, but I wish!
_____________________________________________________________
The day started out as normal as any other day in the West Wing. He had gotten to his little piece of the pressroom about an hour before the hustle and bustle was to begin. He opened his laptop to check his mail and began the day's activities when something caught his eye. It was a square note card with the letter D printed on the envelope. He opened the card and read:
Goldfish Danny! The crackers?!
Danny placed the card in his breast pocket and went to search for CJ. When he got to her office, Carol informed him that she had stepped out and would not be back until right before the morning briefing. As Danny turned to leave a bouquet of flowers on CJ's desk caught his eye.
"Carol?"
"Yes Danny?"
"Who might those be from?" Danny asked with a twinkle in his eye, knowing it was a long shot that Carol would tell him.
"Danny" Carol said plainly with a look that said wouldn't you like to know.
"Okay okay, I am going back to my little corner of the world."
"Bye Danny"
"Bye Carol" As Danny was beginning his walk back to the pressroom; he decided to detour to his good friend Josh's office.
"Hey Donna!"
"Hi, Danny! What can I do for you?"
"Does Josh have a minute?"
"Hang on let me check? Josh? Can Danny see you?"
"Sure"
"Hey Josh"
"Danny, what's up?"
"Well, Josh I have a favor to ask of you"
"Danny? Am I going to get in trouble with CJ for this?"
"Come on Josh, she will stay mad at me longer than she will stay mad at you. Do a guy a favor!"
"Alright Danny, what is it?"
"Who are the flowers from?"
"Ah the flowers, I wondered how you would feel about those...they are from a guy named Ben."
"Ben, who the hell is Ben?" Danny said getting overly emotional.
"Whoa Danny calm down! He seems to be after her and I think they may have had a thing a while ago, but lately she has been trying really hard to get rid of him."
"So what's different now?"
"Well, Danny I can't say for sure but if I had to guess I would say you!" Danny stood looking at Josh dumbfounded.
"Josh, she has said no every time. Even when I have said you have feelings for me too and all she has had to say is yes, she has said no"
"She has to Danny. Leo, Toby, the President, they spent a lot of time blaming her for everything when you two where a little 'friendlier'"
"She mentioned something about that once, but our conversation got interrupted because she was late for a meeting."
"Well, it got pretty bad Danny. It took her a long time to get them off her case and feel like one of the crew again."
"Damn it! I hate that this stuff is because of me."
"Danny, listen, she knows you care..."
"Care, Josh I love her, it is way past caring."
"Okay, well she knows you love her and she must love you too since she still takes this shit and yet, hmmm she still seems to like you Danny."
"Yeah, I just wish this wasn't so hard."
"Love is hard sometimes Danny."
"Yeah, look Josh..." Danny said staring at his shoes. "I have to go get some work done before the briefing."
"Okay, hey Danny...Hang in there!"
"Yeah...thanks" Danny turned and left Josh's office on autopilot back to his cubicle. He passed right by CJ and didn't even notice.
"Hey Carol?"
"Yes CJ?"
"Has Danny stopped by at all today?" CJ said wondering what was wrong.
"Yes, he was looking for you this morning and I told him you wouldn't be back until right before the morning briefing."
"Oh, okay thanks Carol" CJ walked into her office and closed the door. 'I hope he's ok?' Just as CJ was getting lost in her thoughts, the phone rang and brought her back to reality. 'Back to work' CJ thought as she answered the phone. "Hello"
Danny sat down at his desk and coming out of his trance, he noticed another white card. The envelope identical to the other, opening the card, he read:
Those are nice suspenders!
Danny laughed, she could always make him laugh. Danny sat staring at the card, lost in memories.
"Danny?" Danny looked up and noticed a fellow reporter. "The press briefing is starting."
"Oh, thanks" Danny stuffed the envelope in his pocket with the other one. He rose with his notebook and pen and walked to his seat. He watched as CJ entered the room, she looked as out of it as he felt, but she had such a professional way about her briefings.
This briefing was relatively uneventful and afterward Danny tried to catch up with CJ, but she was nowhere to be found.
Danny decided he needed to get out of the White House. He would go have lunch, although he usually ate at his desk or didn't eat at all, but today a bar, or fast food, or a deli, anything as long as it wasn't here.
CJ saw Danny leave the building and wondered again if he was ok. She had just begun to get lost again in her thoughts again when the phone rang. "Damn, five minutes of peace would be nice" she yelled at the phone.
"Hello"
"Ben, the flowers are lovely, but for the last time, I am not interested."
Danny sat at the bar trying to put together in his head all he had learned from Josh. He thought he knew deep down that CJ cared for him, but lately Danny had felt as if maybe he was wrong. Maybe all the waiting had made her actually forget. 'Of course Josh could be wrong, what if Josh was wrong, what if Ben was CJ's new guy?' Danny's thoughts just kept spiraling out of control. He had to go back to work; he needed to get his mind off this Ben thing. Danny threw some money on the bar and walked back to the White House.
CJ walked into Josh's office and sat down on his cabinet by the door, not saying a word. Josh looked up from his work. "Hey CJ, is there something I can do for you?"
"Yeah, tell me what is going on with Danny!"
"What do you mean, Danny is fine." Josh said very unconvincingly.
"Josh I know you both better than that, there is something wrong with him and you are lying to me about it."
"Listen CJ, he just has some things he needs to work out."
"Well, has he come to you about anything lately?"
"Yes, but CJ if you want to know what is going on, ask him yourself, I am not a relationship counselor."
"Josh, there is no relationship, I am just worried about him".
"Right CJ, of all people I'm not that stupid."
"Yeah, well, I should get back to work."
"Ok, remember CJ, you want to know, ask him."
CJ turned and walked out of Josh's office. 'Ask him...!' She thought about it "ok, I'll ask him."
"What?" Carol asked as CJ strode past her desk. "Ask Who?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Carol looked at CJ a bit puzzled, she was a little worried about her boss, and CJ had been distracted all day. It just wasn't like her.
CJ went into her office and pulled out the white note cards, she wrote a bit of a cryptic message on one and went to put it on Danny's desk.
Danny went back to his desk and low and behold, there was another note sitting on his computer waiting for him. Just the site of it made him smile. He opened the note and read:
You know how I feel about two-lips!
Danny's heart skipped a beat, when he had seen the flowers from Ben on her desk He had decided it was time to play hardball. Danny knew her favorite flower; he had one up on poor old Ben. With a smile, Danny opened his computer and set out to finish the work he had, so his mind would be free when he went to CJ's office to deal with the two-lips situation.
As Danny finished his article, he e-mailed it to his editor and shut down his computer for the night. His nerves where getting the best of him, CJ note was about the flowers, but the way she spelled tulips, gave him butterflies in his stomach, maybe she didn't forget after all.
Danny strode down the corridor to CJ office and lightly rapped on her door.
"Come in"
"Hi" Danny saw that the flowers from Ben had been moved out onto Carol's desk and the flowers from him were next to Gail's bowl on CJ's desk. He tried to hide a grin.
"Hey there. Will you close the door please?"
"Sure, is it going to be okay?"
"Yeah everyone has gone home"
"So, I have come to solve this two-lips thing."
"Really, and how do you think you will go about solving that?"
"Oh I have my ways." Danny started to walk around CJ's desk when the phone rang.
CJ cursed and Danny went to sit on the couch.
"Hello" CJ said clearly annoyed with the interruption. "Ben, I can't really talk right now." CJ paused listen to the other end of the conversation. "Ben, I have a reporter in my office and I am in the middle of business. I have to go." With that, CJ hung up the phone and lifted her head. She showed Danny and awkward smile and said, "So, where were we?"
"Well, let's detour for a minute." Danny sounded now like he was a little angry. "Who is this Ben guy?"
"Danny, we are not together you have no right to be angry."
"Not answering the question...Does that mean you are an item?"
"Danny no..." Danny cut her off.
"Are we over CJ, was it too much for you to wait? Can you just throw me away that easily?" Danny stood up ready to leave.
"Danny..." CJ ran to the door and slammed it with her hand, putting her body in between him and the door.
"Let me go CJ, I thought the notes meant something, I thought maybe..."Danny's voice trailed off as he looked down at his shoes, tears threatened to fall, but he couldn't let her see that.
"Danny, stop this, you have it all wrong."
"Do I CJ...do I really?" He said incredulously. "How am I..." CJ stopped Danny from saying another word by covering his mouth with hers.
"You know what Danny, you should be happy Ben keeps calling me. It has helped me to remember how in love I thought I was with him."
"What..." CJ spoke over Danny's objection.
"I realized that it wasn't love, not like what I feel for you." It was CJ's turn for her voice to turn soft and her eyes to be glued to the ground. "Danny, I....care for you and..."
Before CJ could get another word out of her mouth Danny had pinned he up against the door, he looked straight into her eyes and kissed her with the passion that had been building inside him from the day he met her.
When they finally broke apart, they both had to catch their breaths. CJ finally spoke first, "Danny I don't want that to happen to us".
"You don't want what to happen?"
"I don't want to feel this amazing and then let it go only to have it turn into annoyance and anger."
"CJ I would never let that happen to us, I love you to much and I will never let you go." CJ looked into his eyes and the truth behind his words was overwhelming, he did love her and he would wait as long as it took.
"Danny, I know we have a little problem, but we have to find away to be together, I can't do this anymore without you. When I walk into the pressroom the first thing I do is look to you. When I am getting into bed at night my last though is of your lips on mine."
"CJ you are the smartest, funniest, most beautiful women I know and I wouldn't be the same without you. I went crazy today thinking that maybe Ben had become your new interest." Danny's eyes still had doubt behind them.
"Well, how can I convince you?" CJ said with a smirk. "Maybe this will help." CJ kissed Danny on the cheek.
"Well, that helps a little."
"How about this?" CJ trailed kisses from his cheek down his neck and stopped at the ticklish place right behind his ear.
Danny let out a little giggle, he sounded like a little boy. "Well, that helps a little too, but maybe I should show you how it's done!" Danny took her hand and led her to the couch. He picked her up and placed her on his lap. Trailing kisses down her throat and moving to linger on her ear, CJ let out a moan of approval. He was enjoying this immensely, but he was also beginning to feel sleep seep into his brain. CJ yawned and laid her head on Danny's chest.
"I could stay like this forever Danny, but sleep is catching up with me."
"I know what you mean; maybe we should continue this at home." Danny gave her a big grin. CJ smiled.
"You know what Daniel I think that is a good idea."
"I'll go get the car." CJ packed up her stuff and met Danny at the entrance. CJ got in the car and laced her fingers with his in the middle of the car as they drove to her place.
CJ was lying in bed when Danny walked into the room wearing sweats and a t- shirt.
"My God, you are so beautiful!"
"Come lay down with me Danny."
Danny moved to the bed and climbed under the covers. He wrapped his arm around her waist and as they both let sleep take over, they had smiles on their faces.
"I love you Danny!"
"And I love you Claudia!"
________________________________
The End! What do you think?