A/N: I'm back! This chapter is a little short and nothing really happens but I think it's cute so...
"No," C.J. insistes as she fumbles with her earring.
"Why not?" Danny looks at her from across the room. Of course, he's already dressed, standing in the doorway. Waiting for her.
"It's not a good name," C.J. tells him and picks up the other earring from her nightstand.
"What's wrong with Violet?" Danny raises his eyebrows.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are we having an eighty-year-old?" C.J. gets up from the bed and makes her way to the bathroom.
"What're you doing now?" Danny asks as he watches her disappear.
"Fixing my makeup," C.J. yells through the open door. She hears Danny groan and make his way over to their bed. C.J. watches him through the mirror as he sits down and adjusts his tie.
"Your makeup looks good to me," Danny says. She can see him watching her in the reflection. C.J. turns around, her lipstick hovering over her lip.
"Danny," she begins, "I'm a fourty four-year-old pregnant woman. Believe me. I need this." Danny shrugs, like he doesn't want to argue, like he knows she'd win anyways. C.J. turns back around and paints her lips red.
"So, that's a no?" Danny asks.
"Huh?" C.J. reaches for her eyelash curler.
"Violet. It's a no?"
"Definitely."
"Fine." Neither of them say anything as C.J. applies her mascara. "What about Daniella?" C.J. turns around and leans against the sink. She tilts her head a bit as she frowns at Danny.
"Don't you think that's just a tiny bit narcissistic?"
"How?" Danny laughs. C.J. shoots him a look. "Ohh. Danny. Daniella. I get it."
"Yeah." C.J. pushes herself away from the sink and sits down next to Danny. He smells nice. Like peppermint and lemon. Like home. "What about James?"
"James?"
"Mhm. Do you like it? I thought - can you give me those?" She points to her shoes on the floor. Danny hands them to her. "I thought we could put it on the list." C.J. struggles a bit to get into her shoe but eventually she manages.
"Yeah. I don't mind it," Danny says, smiling at her.
"Really?" C.J. looks almost shocked.
"What?" C.J. stands up and starts walking out of the room.
"You've vetoed every single name I've come up with since we found out about this." She points at her stomach. You can only detect the smallest dump underneath her dress.
"That's not true," Danny insists and follows her into the living room. "There was…" He looks around as if the name is written somewhere on their furniture.
"Yes?" C.J. asks, both hands on her hips.
"Well… there was… that one name. That you suggested. That I liked. You know? The- the name. It was good."
"Aha." C.J. doesn't really sound convinced.
"It was uhm… something that started with… A?"
"It was Emily," C.J. almost yells as she searches for her coat.
"Right. Yeah. That was the name. I like that."
"Yeah, I don't want it anymore." She puts her phone in her purse and walks over to the coat rack by the door.
"You don't?" Danny asks and walks over to help her into her jacket.
"No." She smiles at him over her shoulder and you could almost forget they were fighting just a few seconds ago. "Thanks." Danny opens the door for her to step outside. He grabs the keys and they leave the apartment. "So you really like James?" she asks as they descend the stairs.
"Yeah," Danny assures her, his hand on the small of her back. "But wait a minute. Didn't you say it was a girl?" C.J. rolls her eyes at him.
"Yeah but how am I supposed to know that? Do I look like a psychic to you?"
"Well… no," Danny says as they leave the apartment building. "But you said you had some kind motherly instinct or something. I didn't quite understand. You were rambling a lot. It was late. You weren't making much sense."
"Why, thank you, Daniel." C.J. walks a little faster and Danny has to speed up to keep up with her.
"So we're looking at boys' names again now?"
"Yup," C.J. says coldly. She isn't mad. Not really. She just likes to annoy him.
"What about Phillip?"
"No," C.J. tells Danny without looking at him.
"Norman?" C.J. stops dead in her tracks, making Danny almost run straight into her. He manages to move out of the way just in time.
"Do you want our kid to get bullied?"
"What's wrong with Norman?" Danny wants to know as he runs his hand through his hair.
"Everything," C.J. says simply before walking further down the street.
"You come up with something then!" C.J. sighs and looks up at the sky as if to ask the Lord Above for help with the impossible case that is her boyfriend.
"Oh, I don't know. Mark."
"Nah. I had a boss named Mark. He used to touch his secretaries inappropriately during lunch."
"Not Mark then," C.J. agrees. "Ross?" she suggests.
"Like that sitcom character?"
"Not necessarily."
"Yeah, I'm not so sure." Danny puts his hands in his pockets as he walks beside her.
"Fine. It doesn't go on the list." C.J. looks slightly disappointed. "Let's go back to girls' names. We were better at that."
"Not really but…"
"Danny!" C.J. complains. "A little optimism would really kill you?"
"No. You're right. Sorry. Girls' names." She thinks for a moment.
"Anna?"
"Too simple," Danny says and C.J. must admit - much against her own will - that he's right.
"Chloe?" C.J. suggests as they stop at a crossroad.
"Chloe Cregg-Concannon? That's quite a mouthful, don't you think?"
"Yeah, that might be a bit much." Danny gently touches her elbow as they cross the street. She doesn't mind. Although right now she finds him just a tad annoying.
"Oh, I know something!" Danny says excitedly. C.J. raises her eyebrows at him.
"Last time you said that, you suggested we name our child Elvis," C.J. reminds him.
"It was late. I was tired. Doesn't count."
"If you say so." C.J. smiles at him. "Go ahead." Danny pauses, for dramatic effect, C.J. assumes.
"Gail." The smile fades from C.J.'s face.
"Seriously? Gail?"
"What?" Danny is visibly confused.
"We are not - and I cannot stress this enough - naming our child after a fish," C.J. tells Danny firmly.
"But it's a good name. It has meaning. It's Gail!"
"Danny, no." Her tone of voice indicates that there's not going to be a discussion. That he's not supposed to try and convince her. C.J. can see the annoyance in his face. He lets go of her arm. The restaurant is across the street so C.J. stops, determined to end this argument now, before meeting the Bartlets.
"Well, C.J., I don't know what to tell ya'. We've been arguing about this for weeks and we haven't been able to agree on one name yet," Danny says. He doesn't raise his voice at her though. He wouldn't do that.
"Actually, that's not true. There was one-"
"Oh, for god's sake, C.J. you know what I mean," he interrupts her.
"Well, Danny, I'm sorry but you just pick shitty names."
"I don't!" Danny protests. They are standing in the middle of the street now, not caring that people are watching.
"Yes, you do. First it's Elvis then it's after a fish. What's next? Maybe we should name our kid after the cat my neighbors had when I was five. How about that?"
"God, you're so-" He doesn't finish the sentence. He stares at her before running his hand through his hair in frustration.
"Are you raising your voice at a pregnant woman?" C.J. folds her arms in front of her chest, defensively.
"No. No, I'm not," Danny tells her as calmly as he can. "You're just so- You don't like any of the names I suggest-"
"With good reason!" C.J. interrupts.
"- and if you do like one," Danny continues as if he didn't hear her, "you change your mind two days later and we have to start all over again. Can't you just pick one? Honestly, it's not that hard. Or maybe we should just leave it for a while. Wait until the kid is old enough to tell us herself what she wants to be called. But this- this is just- what?" A huge smile decorates C.J.'s face. She can't help herself. It's just like when they were back in the White House. The arguing, the bickering, the yelling in front of other people. "What?" Danny repeats.
"You wanna kiss me so bad right now," C.J. states, still smiling.
"I- Well. Yes." He's blushing now and looks at her almost shyly. C.J. rolls her eyes. She takes a step towards him and reaches for his hand. Danny takes hers and gives it a gentle squeeze. "Sorry about that," he says, referring to his little outburst.
"It's fine. Kinda hot, actually," C.J. whispers as she plays with his tie. Danny raises his eyebrows at her and C.J. shrugs, making her way across the street. His hand feels nice in hers, soft and familiar. She doesn't want to let go. Not for a very long time.
A/N: I hope you liked this! Can you guess what they actually ARE going to name their kid? Comment below. Reviews are always appreciated.