Title: "A Volume of Springtime Haiku" (5/6) (CJ/Danny.
Author: soft lite.
Poetry written by CJ Clanton
Characters: CJ, Danny, Josh, Gail, Toby, Leo, various reporters, and some tourists.
Rating: G.
Disclaimer: Characters from "The West Wing" are not mine. Monopoly isn't mine, either.
Spoilers: Through Season 5's "The Warfare of Genghis Khan." Archive: If you want to.
Author's note: A big thank you to CJ Clanton for volunteering to write poetry for this story! At long last, I will write the game of Monopoly that Spooky asked for long ago. Thanks also to Athena for discussing conflict of interest and what it's like to be in the public eye with me…ya'll can blame or thank her ;P for some pieces of this part. Which is NOT to say that I'm going to deal fully or realistically with conflict of interest…you've been warned.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Danny woke up after a good night's sleep and decided that though the previous evening had been somewhat stressful, dancing with CJ had been worth it. He got up and went through his usual routine. Until he got to one of the inside sections of The Post. Then he grabbed the phone.
"CJ."
"I swear I knew nothing about it, and if I had, I would have tried to talk them out of it."
"What are you talking about?"
"There's a thing in The Post."
"I'm not surprised. The White House photographer took our picture, it was released along with lots of others. I would have guessed it was even odds that they'd mention us and maybe include the picture."
"You haven't read it yet."
"No. Why?" CJ was starting to sound worried, and Danny could hear her flipping through the paper. He could imagine that when she found the page, the first thing her eyes would focus on after the photo was:
My first vow to you I've waited so long to say CJ, I love you
After a few more seconds of silence. "I'll kill him."
"Which one?"
"Josh!"
"He couldn't have known that someone would find a poem he'd hidden during the First Lady's party."
"Well, he evidently expected SOMEONE would find it SOMETIME or he wouldn't have put it there!"
"He probably expected YOU to find it. And even if he thought someone else would, there was no way he could have guessed that someone would turn it over to a reporter."
"So you don't think I should kill him?"
"No. Though I'm going to give a certain reporter a piece of my mind."
"Do me a favor?"
"Any time."
"When you're talking to that reporter, eventually agree to forgive him on the condition that he gives you the card. I want it for my box."
"Okay."
"Okay. I've got to get ready and go to work."
"How long do you have to work this Saturday?"
"I don't know yet."
"It's the opening day of the National Cherry Blossom Festival."
"Yeah."
"If you had some free time, we could take a walk."
"I'd like that. But let's not do the official Blossoms Secrets Stroll – I could probably give that tour myself by now. Stop by later and see if I'm going to have any time."
"Okay."
---
CJ had arrived at work not all that long after her conversation with Danny. She had taken the time to leave messages using very choice words for Josh both at his apartment and at work. When he arrived, she would have more to say to him. Meanwhile, she was plowing through paperwork, hoping that she would be able to leave the White House at some point during daylight hours.
Josh poked his head in the door. "You left a very tactful message indicating you wanted to speak to me?"
CJ glared at him over the rims of her glasses. "Where was that poem hidden?"
"Under the bowl of Goldfish crackers."
"Why?"
"I thought you would have some crackers and see the mint-colored card peeking out."
"I didn't."
"I realized that when I saw the poem in the paper this morning."
"Don't ever hide one of those things in such a public place again."
"Yes, ma'am." Josh saluted.
With another glare, CJ asked, "Was it you who used the spare key to my apartment and left one on my pillow yesterday?"
"What did it say?"
"Josh!"
"Well, Carol might have had the same idea…"
CJ sighed and recited the poem:
Soon will be our time and we can be together never be apart
"Yes."
"Don't let yourself into my apartment unless I ask you to."
"Right."
"And stay away from Gail," CJ added, picking up Gail's bowl so she could inspect it closely. "I don't want to find any more filthy things in her bowl."
"It couldn't have been dirty, CJ, I just bought it at a hobby store."
"Go."
---
As Danny approached CJ's office at about ten, he heard her exasperated voice. "Toby, unlike you, I would like to spend a little time OUTDOORS this weekend! It's spring, the sun is out, it's sort of warm –"
"You're in love."
"It's the weekend. And YES, I AM in love!"
Danny stepped in the doorway. "It's really nice to hear that, though it's not the tone of voice I prefer." CJ's hands fell from her hips and a smile spread across her face as she approached Danny and slipped her fingers through his belt loops to draw him close for a long kiss.
At least as long as was possible with Toby shuffling around, clearing his throat. When they finally parted, CJ once again let Toby know about her feelings. "Thank you so very much, Tobias, for that charming, romantic serenade."
"We have work to do, CJ."
"You mean you're creating busywork for us! Tell me, Toby, is Andi out of town this weekend?!"
"Whoa!" Leo cut in as he arrived. "Let's not diss one another's private lives. Toby, I read your thing. I think it might be a good idea, but I don't think you know well enough where you're going, to drag anyone else in. So you go work on it, and maybe tomorrow or Monday you'll be able to convince me to put more senior staff on it. CJ, we need you back in the Oval to talk about that other thing again. Danny, unless something else comes up, CJ will be done at noon, so go kill two hours." No one looked entirely happy, but everyone did as Leo instructed.
Danny was surprised to find a half dozen reporters in the press room when he arrived. Mark was the first to see him. "So Danny, declaring your love once in print wasn't enough?"
"I didn't know he had the poem."
"If you have any more on you, could you hand them out so we can all write stories about your love life, too?" Katie asked with a wink.
Danny just rolled his eyes and shook his head, so Steve asked, "So what's CJ doing today?"
"I don't know."
"You haven't seen her or spoken to her yet today?" Laura asked, incredulous.
"The rest of this is off the record. We spoke on the phone early this morning and again in her office just now."
"But you don't know what she's here doing?" Chris sounded skeptical.
"No. Believe it or not, there are other things I'd prefer to discuss with her."
Mark still found this hard to believe. "What's the good of dating the White House Press Secretary if she won't tell you what she's working on?"
"Obviously you've never kissed CJ Cregg," Danny commented sarcastically.
"I have," Katie piped up. When everyone looked at her inquisitively, she explained, "On the cheek! When she won that award."
Frank asked, "Is that as far as you've gotten?"
Everyone looked at Frank like he had a hole in his head. "Frank," Steve explained, "they haven't had a moment really alone together."
"Just kisses," Danny confirmed. "And now I'm going to work." They watched him curiously as he set up his laptop, then returned to their own work.
---
At noon, Danny went to CJ's office and found Josh there, hiding poems. "She told you not to put any more in public places?"
Josh had nearly fallen off the chair he was standing on when Danny's voice startled him, "I could have broken my neck! And yes. Also I can't hide any more in her apartment unless she gives me permission to go there."
"You broke into her apartment?"
"Carol has the key in her desk."
"I bet she'll be asked to move that so you can't find it."
"Yeah – or you."
At that moment, a lemon poem dropped from the ceiling on Danny's head. "It's a good thing I wasn't looking up right then or this could have put my eye out."
Winter cannot hold She is my forever Spring Tulips bloom for her
"Might I suggest you not place any in places where they could fall and hurt people?"
"You two are no fun at all. Oh, I was supposed to tell you CJ won't be free until 1."
"So, they're on schedule as usual."
"Yeah."
Danny sighed and looked at his watch. "Has she eaten?"
"No more than a snack."
"I'll get lunch reservations for 1."
"I can come?"
"No," Danny replied firmly as he left.
---
At 12:45, CJ strolled into the press room and said, "Let's go," without looking up as she fumbled in her purse for her sunglasses.
"Great!" Frank said enthusiastically, "Where are we going?"
CJ looked around in surprise, "Sorry guys, just Danny."
---
Danny and CJ enjoyed their lunch at an outdoor table of a restaurant a few blocks from the Tidal Basin. They turned their chairs so they could watch the kite festival, and had fun guessing which kite would be next to fall. As they ate, they were surprised by the number of tourists who snapped their photo or asked for their autographs. "It's so romantic!" one woman gushed. CJ and Danny smiled into each other's eyes.
When they left hand in hand to take a walk near the cherry trees, they were not entirely surprised to find a group of tourists trailing them. At one point, CJ turned to address them, pointing towards the group gathering at the Smithsonian Metrorail Station. "There's an official tour starting in a couple minutes, no reservations needed." No one left their group, and CJ shrugged and returned her attention to the cherry buds, the kites, Danny, and their walk.
A little later, their friends from the White House press corps joined them. "You have quite a following here, CJ," Chris observed.
"How do you know they're not following Danny?" CJ asked, glancing around and seeing there were now even more people following them.
"Who would follow HIM?" Steve asked.
"I would," CJ commented. "Well, this is where lots of people here for the National Cherry Blossom Festival are walking, so it could just be a coincidence." But even she didn't sound convinced. "I tried to encourage them to go join one of those walking tour groups, but they seem to prefer watching us hold hands."
Frank teased, "Maybe you could bore them away by sharing some of the information the president has shared with you."
Mark quickly corrected, "He meant from Claudia's House of Useless Information."
CJ glared at both of them and glanced at her watch, "Well, I wouldn't want to deprive them of fascinating facts about DC's cherry trees, but I've only got about 15 minutes left before I need to be back at the White House." With that, CJ turned around, switching from her right to her left hand in Danny's and spoke in a loud voice: "The first National Cherry Blossom Festival was held in DC in 1935 to celebrate the gift of 3,020 cherry trees given by Japan to the United States in 1912. 3,800 more trees were donated by Japan in 1965. There are at least a dozen varieties of cherry trees in DC…"
Author: soft lite.
Poetry written by CJ Clanton
Characters: CJ, Danny, Josh, Gail, Toby, Leo, various reporters, and some tourists.
Rating: G.
Disclaimer: Characters from "The West Wing" are not mine. Monopoly isn't mine, either.
Spoilers: Through Season 5's "The Warfare of Genghis Khan." Archive: If you want to.
Author's note: A big thank you to CJ Clanton for volunteering to write poetry for this story! At long last, I will write the game of Monopoly that Spooky asked for long ago. Thanks also to Athena for discussing conflict of interest and what it's like to be in the public eye with me…ya'll can blame or thank her ;P for some pieces of this part. Which is NOT to say that I'm going to deal fully or realistically with conflict of interest…you've been warned.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Danny woke up after a good night's sleep and decided that though the previous evening had been somewhat stressful, dancing with CJ had been worth it. He got up and went through his usual routine. Until he got to one of the inside sections of The Post. Then he grabbed the phone.
"CJ."
"I swear I knew nothing about it, and if I had, I would have tried to talk them out of it."
"What are you talking about?"
"There's a thing in The Post."
"I'm not surprised. The White House photographer took our picture, it was released along with lots of others. I would have guessed it was even odds that they'd mention us and maybe include the picture."
"You haven't read it yet."
"No. Why?" CJ was starting to sound worried, and Danny could hear her flipping through the paper. He could imagine that when she found the page, the first thing her eyes would focus on after the photo was:
My first vow to you I've waited so long to say CJ, I love you
After a few more seconds of silence. "I'll kill him."
"Which one?"
"Josh!"
"He couldn't have known that someone would find a poem he'd hidden during the First Lady's party."
"Well, he evidently expected SOMEONE would find it SOMETIME or he wouldn't have put it there!"
"He probably expected YOU to find it. And even if he thought someone else would, there was no way he could have guessed that someone would turn it over to a reporter."
"So you don't think I should kill him?"
"No. Though I'm going to give a certain reporter a piece of my mind."
"Do me a favor?"
"Any time."
"When you're talking to that reporter, eventually agree to forgive him on the condition that he gives you the card. I want it for my box."
"Okay."
"Okay. I've got to get ready and go to work."
"How long do you have to work this Saturday?"
"I don't know yet."
"It's the opening day of the National Cherry Blossom Festival."
"Yeah."
"If you had some free time, we could take a walk."
"I'd like that. But let's not do the official Blossoms Secrets Stroll – I could probably give that tour myself by now. Stop by later and see if I'm going to have any time."
"Okay."
---
CJ had arrived at work not all that long after her conversation with Danny. She had taken the time to leave messages using very choice words for Josh both at his apartment and at work. When he arrived, she would have more to say to him. Meanwhile, she was plowing through paperwork, hoping that she would be able to leave the White House at some point during daylight hours.
Josh poked his head in the door. "You left a very tactful message indicating you wanted to speak to me?"
CJ glared at him over the rims of her glasses. "Where was that poem hidden?"
"Under the bowl of Goldfish crackers."
"Why?"
"I thought you would have some crackers and see the mint-colored card peeking out."
"I didn't."
"I realized that when I saw the poem in the paper this morning."
"Don't ever hide one of those things in such a public place again."
"Yes, ma'am." Josh saluted.
With another glare, CJ asked, "Was it you who used the spare key to my apartment and left one on my pillow yesterday?"
"What did it say?"
"Josh!"
"Well, Carol might have had the same idea…"
CJ sighed and recited the poem:
Soon will be our time and we can be together never be apart
"Yes."
"Don't let yourself into my apartment unless I ask you to."
"Right."
"And stay away from Gail," CJ added, picking up Gail's bowl so she could inspect it closely. "I don't want to find any more filthy things in her bowl."
"It couldn't have been dirty, CJ, I just bought it at a hobby store."
"Go."
---
As Danny approached CJ's office at about ten, he heard her exasperated voice. "Toby, unlike you, I would like to spend a little time OUTDOORS this weekend! It's spring, the sun is out, it's sort of warm –"
"You're in love."
"It's the weekend. And YES, I AM in love!"
Danny stepped in the doorway. "It's really nice to hear that, though it's not the tone of voice I prefer." CJ's hands fell from her hips and a smile spread across her face as she approached Danny and slipped her fingers through his belt loops to draw him close for a long kiss.
At least as long as was possible with Toby shuffling around, clearing his throat. When they finally parted, CJ once again let Toby know about her feelings. "Thank you so very much, Tobias, for that charming, romantic serenade."
"We have work to do, CJ."
"You mean you're creating busywork for us! Tell me, Toby, is Andi out of town this weekend?!"
"Whoa!" Leo cut in as he arrived. "Let's not diss one another's private lives. Toby, I read your thing. I think it might be a good idea, but I don't think you know well enough where you're going, to drag anyone else in. So you go work on it, and maybe tomorrow or Monday you'll be able to convince me to put more senior staff on it. CJ, we need you back in the Oval to talk about that other thing again. Danny, unless something else comes up, CJ will be done at noon, so go kill two hours." No one looked entirely happy, but everyone did as Leo instructed.
Danny was surprised to find a half dozen reporters in the press room when he arrived. Mark was the first to see him. "So Danny, declaring your love once in print wasn't enough?"
"I didn't know he had the poem."
"If you have any more on you, could you hand them out so we can all write stories about your love life, too?" Katie asked with a wink.
Danny just rolled his eyes and shook his head, so Steve asked, "So what's CJ doing today?"
"I don't know."
"You haven't seen her or spoken to her yet today?" Laura asked, incredulous.
"The rest of this is off the record. We spoke on the phone early this morning and again in her office just now."
"But you don't know what she's here doing?" Chris sounded skeptical.
"No. Believe it or not, there are other things I'd prefer to discuss with her."
Mark still found this hard to believe. "What's the good of dating the White House Press Secretary if she won't tell you what she's working on?"
"Obviously you've never kissed CJ Cregg," Danny commented sarcastically.
"I have," Katie piped up. When everyone looked at her inquisitively, she explained, "On the cheek! When she won that award."
Frank asked, "Is that as far as you've gotten?"
Everyone looked at Frank like he had a hole in his head. "Frank," Steve explained, "they haven't had a moment really alone together."
"Just kisses," Danny confirmed. "And now I'm going to work." They watched him curiously as he set up his laptop, then returned to their own work.
---
At noon, Danny went to CJ's office and found Josh there, hiding poems. "She told you not to put any more in public places?"
Josh had nearly fallen off the chair he was standing on when Danny's voice startled him, "I could have broken my neck! And yes. Also I can't hide any more in her apartment unless she gives me permission to go there."
"You broke into her apartment?"
"Carol has the key in her desk."
"I bet she'll be asked to move that so you can't find it."
"Yeah – or you."
At that moment, a lemon poem dropped from the ceiling on Danny's head. "It's a good thing I wasn't looking up right then or this could have put my eye out."
Winter cannot hold She is my forever Spring Tulips bloom for her
"Might I suggest you not place any in places where they could fall and hurt people?"
"You two are no fun at all. Oh, I was supposed to tell you CJ won't be free until 1."
"So, they're on schedule as usual."
"Yeah."
Danny sighed and looked at his watch. "Has she eaten?"
"No more than a snack."
"I'll get lunch reservations for 1."
"I can come?"
"No," Danny replied firmly as he left.
---
At 12:45, CJ strolled into the press room and said, "Let's go," without looking up as she fumbled in her purse for her sunglasses.
"Great!" Frank said enthusiastically, "Where are we going?"
CJ looked around in surprise, "Sorry guys, just Danny."
---
Danny and CJ enjoyed their lunch at an outdoor table of a restaurant a few blocks from the Tidal Basin. They turned their chairs so they could watch the kite festival, and had fun guessing which kite would be next to fall. As they ate, they were surprised by the number of tourists who snapped their photo or asked for their autographs. "It's so romantic!" one woman gushed. CJ and Danny smiled into each other's eyes.
When they left hand in hand to take a walk near the cherry trees, they were not entirely surprised to find a group of tourists trailing them. At one point, CJ turned to address them, pointing towards the group gathering at the Smithsonian Metrorail Station. "There's an official tour starting in a couple minutes, no reservations needed." No one left their group, and CJ shrugged and returned her attention to the cherry buds, the kites, Danny, and their walk.
A little later, their friends from the White House press corps joined them. "You have quite a following here, CJ," Chris observed.
"How do you know they're not following Danny?" CJ asked, glancing around and seeing there were now even more people following them.
"Who would follow HIM?" Steve asked.
"I would," CJ commented. "Well, this is where lots of people here for the National Cherry Blossom Festival are walking, so it could just be a coincidence." But even she didn't sound convinced. "I tried to encourage them to go join one of those walking tour groups, but they seem to prefer watching us hold hands."
Frank teased, "Maybe you could bore them away by sharing some of the information the president has shared with you."
Mark quickly corrected, "He meant from Claudia's House of Useless Information."
CJ glared at both of them and glanced at her watch, "Well, I wouldn't want to deprive them of fascinating facts about DC's cherry trees, but I've only got about 15 minutes left before I need to be back at the White House." With that, CJ turned around, switching from her right to her left hand in Danny's and spoke in a loud voice: "The first National Cherry Blossom Festival was held in DC in 1935 to celebrate the gift of 3,020 cherry trees given by Japan to the United States in 1912. 3,800 more trees were donated by Japan in 1965. There are at least a dozen varieties of cherry trees in DC…"