On The Road With Danny Concannon: The Baltic's-Tokyo-& Nashville

Title: "Phone calls."

Companion Piece: (Takes place between) Talking Points 5.18 & before No Exit 5.19

Spoilers: Separation Of Powers 5.7

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Estonia: "Ms. American Pie."- April 7th CJ Time: 6:34 am

Danny moved his body backwards in his seat, away from his laptop, and dialed her cell phone.

CJ walked to work and picked up her cell phone, so tired she hadn't even checked the display.

"I was hoping you could help me with the lyrics to American Pie?"

"Danny?"

"I have it on good authority you might be able to help me in that area?"

"Bye, bye Ms. American Pie?"

"Is it true Ms. Cregg, off the record, you were seen getting drunk with Senator Pierce?"

"Who hasn't gotten drunk with Senator Pierce?" She said with her infamous sarcasm.

"True."

"How did you—"

"I have a very loyal subscription to the Lyman times."

"I'm gonna kill um.."

"Don't do that."

"Why?"

"Cause it's not nice." He paused. "And you have no where to hide the body."

"You know - did he tell you he got drunk first, and I wasn't drunk, I was just having fun. Someone around here has to-"

"-Pierce got Josh drunk? Josh gets drunk just looking at the alcohol fermenting in the glass. In fact, saying you got Lyman drunk is a little redundant isn't it? You know 'cause it's so easy, it happens all the time. Like putting on your pants."

"One leg at a time." CJ smirked

"No, not what I was going for, but hey I'll take it."

"Sure."

"But no, he did leave out that little tidbit of information."

"I'll have to remind Josh of that all day." Her eyes glittered

"Glad I could help."

"I'm at the gate." She insinuated to Danny.

"Yeah?"

CJ flashed her badge of the man at the gate.

"I'm going to work. I'm on my way in. Any other reason you called - you need to find the lyrics to Margaretville, because I think Toby is the real Jimmy buffet fan? May I suggest you google it?"

"No. I'm done."

CJ stepped on the seal in the lobby.

"Bye."

"Bye."

And Danny hung up. CJ smiled and walked through the Lobby.

Danny leaned forward on his laptop and finished his email to Josh.

"Thanks." He typed and pushed send.

Latvia: "The Dinner" –April 8th CJ Time: 6:45 am

"Yes?" CJ answered her phone knowing the number, but being unsure.

"So the President was pretty funny at the dinner last night?"

"The correspondent's dinner? Danny how are you getting this number?" CJ pulled into the carport and flashed her badge to the guard making small talk as the rain drizzled down; another day to drive to work.

"Has it changed?" Danny asked as CJ tried to maneuver the wheel toward her spot.

"No."

"Josh gave it to me."

"Remind me to ring his neck." She landed the on K like she would on Josh's neck.

"Don't do that."

"Why?"

"'Cause it isn't nice."

CJ set her gearshift in park and began to collect her things.

"I didn't see you there?"

"CSPAN."

"Ahh." CJ made her way out of her car into the cold drizzle.

"You write any of the jokes?" Danny teased her.

"No." CJ slammed her door closed.

"Can I ask what was with the joke about the onion?"

"I stopped asking." CJ adjusted the phone as she adjusted her purse strap and began her walk to the front lobby door.

"You guys really need Sam, he brought the funny. They forgot the funny?"

"I thought you said you liked it?" CJ teased him back.

"I found it amusing, but when you're used to tenderloin sometimes hamburger's not so appealing, in comparison, but I'm good with hamburger ...for now—But if it means calling you…"

"Is this going to become a thing?" CJ made her hellos at the door and crossed the seal making her footsteps echo. .

"It could be a thing?"

"You calling me?" CJ found herself in another corridor

"Could be a thing."

"Not a thing." CJ made her way down Josh's bullpen corridor to her office.

"Really, I think this is a thing. Not the thing you're saying it is, but it's a thing, everything is a thing. And yeah this could be a thing… Don't tell me you're not enjoying this? The thing I mean."

"Well-"

"-I'll take that as a yes." CJ crossed the threshold of her office.

"Take it how you want?" CJ tried not to let him now she was smirking.

"Okay."

"You done?" CJ's purse hit her desk next to Gail.

"Yeah."

Danny hung up and CJ couldn't help from laughing. Danny couldn't help but laugh himself, in a way he hadn't laughed in a long time.

Leaving Latvia: "Lunch?" April 9th CJ Time: 2:22pm

"Wasn't sure if you were going to pick up?" Danny said in his slyest voice adjusting himself in his airplane seat.

"So, this is going to become a thing?" CJ stood over her desk.

"It's a thing as long as you make it a thing?"

"This conversation has become tiresome." She said with fanned anger.

"On this end… I'm pretty much scintillated." He tried to hold in the giddiness he got from riling her up.

"You would be." She tried not to smile at the banter as well.

"Why, thank you Ma'am." Danny joked.

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry Ma'am"

"I'm getting this number changed." CJ said crossly.

"I'd just get the new one." Danny joked.

"Not with Josh around…" She bemused.

"You could of course stop taking my calls."

"Also true." She said with a little humor.

"Any false answers in this multiple choice quiz?"

"Many, many my friend."

"New York Times."

"I'm sorry?"

"My book is on the New York Times-"

"-Best sellers list-I saw—number nine now is it?"

"And counting…"

"And counting…."

"Glad you noticed…"

Carol entered the room and Danny heard her voice in the background.

"They said all they have are a few bagels and a raisin muffin."

"That's it?" CJ put her hand on the speaker end of the phone.

"That's it." Carol's inflection went up at the end as if to say she was sorry

"I just want food. I'll take it." CJ grumbled.

"Yeah." Carol walked out.

"Having food issues?"

"When don't I?" She said with sarcasm.

"Never."

"Okay, you got me there." She said dryly.

"You were lying?"

"No it was just sarcasm."

"How could I have missed that?" He joked, for sarcasm was CJ's bread and butter.

"I'm very dry."

Danny laughed softly.

"CJ, you have time for Greg Brock." Danny heard Carol's voice.

"Yeah." CJ yelled. "Speaking of The Times. Got to go."

CJ flipped the phone closed.

Lithuania "Missing You Over Coffee" April 10th CJ time: 4:15pm

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello this is CJ Cregg on her cell phone. If this is a business matter please call my assistant Carol in The Press Office. Otherwise please leave a message at the tone."

The voicemail beeped and Danny hung up. He knew any message he left right now she wouldn't return. They would get there, but right now it wasn't reality.

Tokyo: "Fishing & Water Life." April 12th CJ Time: 11:21 pm.

"Danny, I had this number changed?"

"'Cause of me?"

"No. No…..I mean it helps." She joked. " No. I dropped my phone…" She took a breath. " In the fish bowl."

"How did you do that?"

"Long story." She trailed off thinking of the embarrassment

"Must be. You and water."

"I know."

"You didn't hurt the fish did you?"

"No, just a very expensive cell phone."

"Where are you?" Danny wasn't sure of the sound he just heard.

"No where? Where are you?" She said defensively.

"I asked first."

"Danny?"

"Are you taking a bath?" Danny could hear the splash of water.

"Ahh…" CJ brought her hand up causing the water to sound even more.

"You are." Danny started to laugh and smile. "Hello?" Danny asked before laughing again when he realized CJ had hung up.

Leaving Tokyo: "Dinner at the Oval." April 13th CJ Time: 7:09

"Yeah?" CJ sounded distracted almost like she was smiling through her teeth,

"Where are you?" Danny sat alone in a chair of many in the ghost town like airport terminal.

"I'm having dinner." She still sounded odd as her inflection went up at the end. Danny could hear the noise of people.

"I'm going to check on our table." Danny heard a man's voice.

"I'll meet you at the bar." CJ said.

"Who was that?"

"Danny." CJ sounded like she was sneaking as her voice lowered to a rasp.

"What?"

"You can't keep calling me like this… Excuse me. Excuse me." CJ pushed through some people to get to a clear place.

"CJ, I'm a reporter, you're the Press Secretary I need to talk to you." This of course was not Danny's real motive. Not now, not this time.

"Then call the office during normal business hours like a normal person."

"You just used the word normal twice in that sentence." Danny smiled

"I'm sorry I left my thesaurus in my other dress." CJ looked up and around for someone.

"You're wearing a dress..?"

"What?' Danny spoke, but his words faded in and out. "Wait," CJ put her hand to her ear. "I can't hear you." CJ looked around and finally decided to duck into the coatroom. She made her way through a few sets of coats like it was a forest and set herself in the center of a small chair between two furs by the door. The sounds of outside where deafen either by the coats or the fact that she was in another room. She wasn't sure.

"Okay, what are you saying?"

"I said. "You're wearing a dress?"

"Yes. Off the shoulder. Red."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I don't know why I felt the need to share that with you." She said dryly.

"Where are you?"

"Right now? The coat room." She looked around.

"The coat room?"

"I couldn't hear you,"

"So you ducked into the coat room?"

"Yes." CJ felt stupid

"Nice place?"

"The Oval."

"I love the Oval. Best restaurant in town I'd say."

"Yeah. I would too." CJ smiled.

"What ya havin'?"

"I haven't eaten yet?"

"When you do?"

"I think I'll have the fish."

"Good choice."

"I like the sword fish."

"They have great salmon."

"I love that special sauce they put on it.."

"What special sauce?"

"The pink sauce."

"I haven't had the pink sauce. Must have come about while I was away"

"You have to have the pink sauce. If you come back for only one thing you have to come back to have the pink sauce."

"I'd come back for other things first."

"Danny…" She looked down.

"I know." He knew he was doing it and he had to stop.

"You can't keep calling me like this." She looked away.

"Just ask me to stop and I'll stop."

"I like that you call Danny, but you just can't keep calling like this." She laughed but it was more of a laugh of despair. CJ felt tortured. "Like this…"

"Why are you hiding in the coat room?"

"I'm not hiding in the coat room." She leaned a little and a coat whacked her in the face surprising her and swooping her hair in her face. CJ sent her hair back away from her "When are you coming back?"

"I don't know."

"Same here."

"Huh?"

"The answer to my hiding question."

"Ahh."

There was a pause and CJ leaned forward on her elbows

"You on a date?"

"I don't think I should tell you that Danny."

"I think you just did."

"I guess I did."

"You know I won't stop calling."

"I know." She said softly

"But if you wish…. I won't call as much."

"Okay." There was a sense of sadness in CJ's voice as if she was about to cry. She held her hand over her month for a moment to hold it in. She took a breath and shook her head.

"Good." Danny said in his saddest voice, a rasp just about on the cusp of his voice.

"As you wish CJ." He paused in his soft tone. "Always as you wish. You just can't make me stop…calling you."

"I have to go." CJ thought his words would make her loose it. She leaned over and put her hand over her forehead.

"Okay." Danny nodded his head on his line for a moment. Danny leaned over in his seat holding the phone in front of him. He just stared at it. CJ hung up the phone and stayed in the coatroom for a moment before leaving.

Nashville: "The rub." April 17th CJ Time: 10:20 pm

CJ picked up the phone on her end of the line.

"Daddy." She wailed. "I'm coming soon. I told you." She was holding back her tears.

"CJ?"

"Oh." CJ was taken back by Danny's voice and wiped the tears from her cheek. "I thought you were my father." Danny was worried for CJ.

"You really need to check that display before you pick up the phone, there CJ." He tried to make her laugh.

"I wouldn't think you'd like that, it means I'd start missing your calls."

"True."

"I'm glad you called. I was kind of… sitting here…. wishing I had…"

"Someone to talk to?" Danny asked in his all knowing voice.

"Funny huh?" CJ place two fingers between her eyes.

"Yeah funny. Same here." Danny paused. "Your Dad just called?"

"Yeah.." CJ trailed off.

"He doing okay?"

"No, Danny he's not." She said firmly.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." She knew she had snapped at him.

"I shouldn't have…"

"He forgets things—." She said not sure if she wanted to go into it with Danny.

"I know." He said with full passion and understanding. "If there's anything…"

"No. Thank you." She said sincerely.

"No problem." There was a pause between them. "You just wanna talk?"

"Yeah….I'd like that."

"Good," There was a short pause.

"So…where are ya?" CJ asked in her most grounded voice before switching into sarcasm. "What exciting place are you in this time? Spain, Rome, Zimbabwe." She made the last one seem like a joke.

"Nashville."

"Nashville?" CJ laughed. "My mother was born in Tennessee."

"Really?"

"Yeah." CJ lifted her finger under her eye to erase the last of her tears from her check.

"I use to go down there once a year around this time, for Easter, see my grandmother." CJ smiled and paused. "We'd all go out after church and have a big dinner to this one place…. Made the best dry rube. You ever have dry rube?"

"I don't think so."

"You'd know if you had."

"I think I would." He joked.

"Their dry rub beef with spices for a day… You gotta try it. Promise me you'll try it."

"I promise."

"Good."

"Hummm." She leaned back in her chair forgetting the trials of the day. Her phone beeped a call waiting. CJ looked at the phone and her face changed. "Danny I have a call waiting I should.." Her brow furred and Danny seemed to sense it. He could hear it in her voice.

"Your father?"

"Yeah." She took a breath. "Is it bad I don't want to take it?" She said in a kid confessing sounding voice

"No." He said slowly and sweet.

"I have to take it." She told herself and that would have been Danny's answer as well.

"Do you want to call me after you do?"

"Can I?" CJ felt bad having told Danny to stop calling her and now she wanted to call him.

"Yes."

"I'd like that."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

Danny hung up and looked at the phone for a moment before discarding it on the bed with a light toss. He stood up and stretched his legs. Danny grabbed the phone and walked over to the dresser where he had made himself a make shift office. He sat himself down in front of his laptop and started to type furiously. Danny stopped after a paragraph and looked at the phone. He couldn't concentrate. Danny picked up the phone and brought it to his mouth. He let it stay there for a moment before lifting himself off the chair and beginning to pace. Danny looked at the phone he kept in his hot little hands and took a breath. He paced again and stopped. Danny looked at the phone and threw it on the bed. After a moment Danny threw himself, back first, onto the bed and covered his face with his arm. What was he doing? Danny reached out his arm onto the bed with a bounce. The phone rang. Danny jumped and wrapped his hand around the phone.

"CJ?" He yelled as he straighten up on the bed.

"Good guess."

"Hey." He said sweetly.

'Hey." She said back in her own version of a mirror image.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, now it is. Thanks." CJ still wasn't in the best shape. She needed someone to talk and Danny could hear that.

CJ leaned her head forward as she lay on her bed, and set her hand on her stomach, playing with the bottom of her suit jacket for a moment and letting go of it to fall beside her. She leaned her head back with a sigh. Danny and CJ held their phones to their ears and looked up at the ceiling. They were now having pillow talk and neither of them knew it.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No, not really…"

"It's not your fault. He has your brothers…"

"Yes, but he looks to me."

"It shouldn't be just on your shoulders.."

"Yeah, I know.." She still felt guilty about it.

"It's hard I know. You feel guilty."

"Tell me about it." CJ played with the phone cord slipping her fingers in and out of it. Her phone beeped again. "Hold on I have another call." CJ looked down and saw the name BEN on her phone.

"Okay." Danny was put on hold and he walked over to his laptop and closed the top to sleep. He and his work needed it. But Danny was more than happy to snuggle up with CJ for the night. Danny lowered himself down on the bed and started to leaf through the New York Times having already read all the good stuff in The Post.

"Yeah, I'm back." CJ clicked back in and Danny let go of the edges the paper and leaned back onto the pillow.

"Who was it? Josh? "

"No one important." She threw it off.

"So who's replaced me?" Danny asked setting the newspaper aside and pushing himself farther up on the pillows.

"I'm sorry?" CJ sat up in her bed.

"Who's in your face? Which reporter's in your office buggin' you the most?" He laughed. "Who took my place?"

"No one can bug me quite like you." She said slyly.

"Ahh thanks." He gave it right back to her.

"Let's see I'd have to say the new guy from The Times."

"He's a jerk. Stay wise to that one." Danny said it like it was knee jerk reaction.

"Why do you say that?"

"Just do CJ."

"Okay?" CJ shook it off and figuratively "dug her heels" into the bed for comfort.

"You still wanna keep talking?" Danny asked like a sweet drink of water.

"Yes, please." CJ said almost like a child.

"What do you want to talk about?"

CJ took a breath.

"Let's talk about you."

"Me?"

"We always talk about me? Tell me about you? Where are you going next?" CJ climbed up onto the pillows and pulled the comforter down pulling herself under the safe, warm, coverings.

"Well, I'll be here for a few days.."

"And you're gonna try dry rub." She demanded.

"And I'm gonna try dry rub." Danny smiled. CJ pulled the comforter over half her body still dressed in her work clothes.

"And then I go to the Ivory Coast—"

"The Africa hot." CJ bemused as her voice tailed off.

'Yeah?"

"Tell me more." Her voice said hazily.

"More?"

"More." She said peacefully.

"…Then I go to South America -" CJ heard Danny's voice trail off and seemed to just zone in on the cadence of his voice.

"Ahh ha…"

"-And things might change, but I need to get to Nebraska at sometime…."

"Ah hummm." CJ's eyes seemed to flutter. She adjusted herself on her pillow changing the phone and leaning on her side.

" And from there I'm either going back to Paris, or I'm going to Texas for some interviews, Pretty much the only thing that's set is I need to be in New York by the middle of May…I might have another book signing in Detroit. It'd be a nice break, but…CJ? You there CJ?"

"Yeah." She said listlessly.

"You're tired. Go to sleep."

"No, I'm listening. Please. Keep talking." She ran her tongue through her sleepy mouth and took a breath in from her noise.

"Okay." Danny smiled. There was a pause while Danny thought of what to say next.

"You know when I was fourteen…I had trouble sleeping…after my mother died." She took a breath. "He'd just sit and talk to me. My father. It didn't matter what. We'd just talk. Even if he had to be away, he'd call me from where ever he was…he'd just talk to me and let me talk?" CJ was surprised she was remembering the moment as it became real in her head.

"I wish I knew you when you were fourteen."

"Me too." CJ mumbled but meaning it with the full voice of the truth as Danny struggled to be sure what she said.

"CJ?"

"Nothing."

"CJ?"

"Just keep talking Danny." CJ asked sweetly and softly as she closed her eyes.

CJ had become this disembodied voice in the night failing into sleep land, but Danny didn't care as he imagined her on the other end of the phone rounding her lips around the words she spoke.

"Okay." Danny sweetly letting it be, he continued talking.

Nashville: "The rub." April 17th CJ Time: 5:05

Danny found himself lifting his head to the light of a new day. Danny couldn't remember even falling asleep. The last thing he remembered hearing was CJ's voice, talking to her, calming away her fears with his endless stories, and in the process calming himself. Danny heard her breath and her sound and wasn't sure if he was still dreaming or awake. Danny turned his head to the left and found himself face to face with his cell phone. He smiled even though it wasn't her. He smiled for both the sweetness that they had both fallen asleep talking and for the bitter sweetness of the fact she wasn't really there. Danny and CJ had finally slept together even if it was in separate beds in separate states.

Danny picked the phone up to his ear and was about to clip the phone closed when he heard her breathing. He stopped just wanting to hear her sleep. He didn't want to do it. This would be the kind of thing his therapist would call, "unhealthy." Well, if he actually saw his therapist on a regular basis, like he promised his friend in New York.

Danny swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself off it. He still heard CJ fuss and he could hear the movement of her tossing. Danny walked over to the window and decided he needed to say something.

"Danny?" But CJ got to him first.

"Yeah?" Danny spoke softly and sweetly. "Good Morning sleepy head."

"Did we?"

'Yeah, I think we did." Danny laughed looking down for a moment.

"What time is it?" CJ took a breath and ran her hand over her head to stretch. Danny looked at his watch.

"A little after Five your time."

"I need to get ready for work." CJ moved her torso up with a grunt.

"It's Sunday. CJ"

"Oh, yeah." CJ set herself down on the bed. She took a breath and closed her eyes.

"Go back to sleep." Danny said with sweet concern.

"I think we just made someone at Verizion very happy." She yawned not paying attention to Danny's easy out.

"I'll pay the bill." Danny said with all sincerely and pathos.

"No, Danny…"

"No I insist." He said with all genuineness.

"Danny, no. I can pay my own phone bill." She demanded while still letting him know she appreciated it.

"No really.."

"Danny." She rasped his name.

"Okay." He knew when to let her have her way.

"Good."

"Go back to sleep."

"What are you doing today?" She said with a yawn.

"I have an interview." He smiled. "And then I thought I'd try some dry rub."

"Hummm." CJ smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Good night CJ."

"Good morning Danny." She smiled thinking how it would be if he were really lying next to her.

"Good morning." He said bitter sweetly. "Go to sleep."

"See ya soon Danny." She said with her own bittersweet quality half way in dreamland already.

"Yeah." He said with sorrow because he wasn't there with her.

Danny hung up the phone and looked out the window. That day he sat in a diner and tried dry rub. CJ was right it tasted great.