C.J. Cregg dropped her shopping bag onto a chair and followed suit with her long lean body. The mall food court was as packed as the parking lot and the stores. The countdown to the holidays was dwindling to single digits.

The White House was dazzling with all the decorations and the holiday took on more poignancy after the tragedy from earlier in the year at the Newseum.

She shook off the momentary woeful feeling reminding herself that the President was back in the Oval Office. Josh was also back walking the halls nearly as quickly as the rest of them.

He'd outpace her now with her load of packages weighing her down. Saturday at the Mall was not for the timid or the out of shape. C.J. figured coffee would revive her enough to pick up her packages from the chair next to her and struggle to the parking lot. But that meant getting up . . .

"Dad, it's lame. If the kid's already got problems, a super hero jacket gets him beaten up."

"Son, don't judge or generalize."

"Geez, Dad. If his name's on a tree, his life's not cool."

"Fair point. All right, we keep the plain navy jacket."

C.J.'s smile at eavesdropping blanked as her jaw dropped. She'd suddenly recognized one of those voices and turned in shock.

Danny Concannon was two tables over looking luscious and rumpled in a blue sweater with a white t-shirt showing at the top. The jeans were well worn and she had reason to know extremely soft as they hugged that wiry body.

Her eyes swung to the young boy next to him. She was startled to see a miniature version of Danny.

She'd seen pictures of Patrick Joseph Concannon and knew there was a resemblance between father and son. The seven year old lived with his mother but she'd always been generous with Danny over visitation.

This was an important weekend for the Concannon males. Patrick had too been terrified after the Newseum shootings to come for his usual summer visit in Washington, D.C. Danny had worked long and hard to reassure his son that he would be safe and so would the people the boy loved and respected like Josh and the President.

C.J. was aware of all the background and hadn't planned on seeing Danny at all during the weekend. His son had enough on his plate without knowing there was a new woman in his Dad's life. That was fine with C.J. She understood the ritual of male bonding was sacred. Still, it was a bonus to see them together unobserved.

That reward lasted only a moment. Danny glanced over and everything else in the world faded away. His first impression was that wishful thinking had conjured up C.J. A closer look showed his wish was reality.

His smile widened and he bent over to his son. The boy looked her way and C.J. was amazed to see the mirror image of Danny's blue eyes.

The two Concannons grabbed up bags and headed toward her table. "Hey, C.J."

"Hello, Danny."

They both controlled their usual tendency to greet each other outside of work with a hug.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from the red haired boy. He politely tried to look interested.

Danny put a hand on his son's shoulder, "C.J., this is my son Patrick Joseph Concannon."

"Geez, Dad."

Danny punched him lightly on the shoulder, "Steady. This is Ms. Cregg."

"You're not gonna tell me her whole name?"

C.J.'s face lit up with a smile. "It's Claudia Jean Cregg. But mostly, I'm called C.J."

"Cool. I'm called P.J."

"Or mud, or trouble, or champ." Danny ruffled P.J.'s hair and said to C.J., "Looks like you helped the economy."

"Same for both of you."

"Every year Dad and I take the name of a boy my age off the giving tree."

"Well, we're all thinking the same the way. That's why I'm here." C.J. gestured to the food court, "Okay, here I'm on a break."

"We were about to refuel. Right Patrick?"

The boy nodded.

"Please, join me. " C.J. moved to clear the chair.

"Sure, thanks." Danny shifted their packages.

"Dad, I'm dying of thirst."

"Really? That'll make it easier to get you back. You'll waste away enough to fit in a box in the baggage compartment."

The boy giggled out a protest, "Dad."

"One sec." He turned to C.J., "Coffee for you?"

"I'll get it."

"No, if I go you can watch all the packages."

"Fine. What are you getting, Patrick?"

"Fruit smoothie and smothered fries."

Danny joked, "It's all about balance, healthy and not so."

"Actually, it's all about youthful metabolism." She considered the choices, "I think I'll change to a fruit smoothie too."

"One less line, thanks. P.J.?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Stay with Ms. Cregg and help keep an eye on the packages."

She waited for whining and an objection. There was only a small nod from the boy. C.J. reached for her purse, "Money."

"We'll settle later." Danny marched off like the great hunter gatherer determined to beat back anyone in his way to get food for his little clan.

She turned back to look at P.J. His coloring matched Danny's and both Concannon males had those luminous blue eyes. The boy's were just as direct and focused on her. "My Dad's a reporter at the Washington Post. He writes about the President and the White House."

"I know. I work there too."

"Are you a reporter like Libby?" C.J. noticed Patrick's smile was a dead ringer for Danny's. She also noted he'd inherited his father's appreciation for women. P.J. obviously liked Danny's fellow reporter Libby Rhodes.

C.J. told the child, "Not exactly. I work with your Dad and Libby. They're reporters and I'm the Press Secretary."

"Okay."

"Here's how it works, P.J. I tell them what's going on with the President and try to answer their questions." She could see he was unimpressed, "Sometimes I'm on TV."

"Really? Wow." He shifted to get a better look, "When are you going to be on TV again?"

"Maybe tomorrow when I go to work, for sure on Monday."

"I'm leaving Monday afternoon. We have a long weekend off from school." And in the way children do, his mind leapfrogged to another area, "You work at the White House, right?"

C.J. nodded and waited for him to go on, "For the President?"

"That's right."

"Then you know Josh, Ms. Cregg."

"I do."

"He and my Dad are friends. He's my friend too. We're going to see him tomorrow to watch the Redskins."

"Sounds like fun. Josh told me he's looking forward to it. I think he wants a video game rematch."

"He is powerless against me." Patrick smirked, "He knows that I rule, Ms. Cregg."

"You may call me C.J."

"My Mom and Dad want me to be respectful."

"That's very important. I think it's okay if I give my permission though, P.J."

He snorted, "We rhyme. Man, it's takin' forever."

"Too many hungry shoppers. At least I'm done shopping, are you?"

"Probably. He shrugged, "We need them wrapped."

C.J. eyed the stack of packages, "Did you get boxes?"

"Yeah, we learned that." He returned the appraising stare on C.J.'s bags, "That'll be some good pile of presents."

"Hope so. Little girls like pretty and new things."

"You bought for a girl?" There was horror and betrayal in P.J.'s voice, "Don't you like boys?"

Danny approached as C.J. reassured the seven year old. "I love boys. I had two brothers and I have two nephews."

"Then, why a girl?"

To forestall a painful explanation from C.J. about losing her daughter to SIDS, Danny announced his presence. "Back with food. With all these people, they might run out. We better guard this tray."

P.J. laughed and eyed the crowd. "We can take'em."

Danny placed the fries in front of C.J. "I'd help yourself before the eating machine gets in gear."

"Thanks." She grabbed a few fries and her smoothie. "P.J., good call."

His father protested, "Hey, leave some for me. I need energy too for the rest of this trip."

"P.J. wasn't sure if you guys were done shopping?"

"We are, but we have to have the gifts wrapped."

P.J. added after a loud slurp of his drink, "That means we have to wait in line. It's lame."

"Why don't you just wrap them yourselves?"

"C.J., my dad isn't such a good wrapper."

Danny shrugged, "I'm more of the crooner type."

C.J. groaned and Patrick asked with a blank look on his face, "What's a crooner?"

Before either of the adults could explain the boy went off in another direction. "C.J., are you going to wrap your presents yourself?"

"That's my plan and then I'll bring them back later today."

"Oh." P.J. finished his drink, "Do you like chili?"

"Sure, are you still hungry?" C.J. looked at the different food court venues, "Should I get you some?"

"No" Danny leveled his gaze at his son, "Patrick, I see where you're going. Put the brakes on that idea."

"Well, I'm confused." C.J. looked at the Concannons.

"See C.J., my Dad has chili at home. I thought if you came over, you could help wrap presents and keep us from wasting all that time in line. And besides their paper is ugly."

"Okay son, nice job of ignoring me. We aren't going to impose on Ms. Cregg. She probably has plans."

"It's C.J. and I'd be delighted to help you, Patrick without dinner as a bribe."

"His chili's good and I'll help."

Danny threw up his hands. "Am I outnumbered?"

P.J. and C.J. chorused, "Yes!"

(TBC)