A/N: I'm back with another long chapter. I hope you like it. Enjoy! (This one goes out to Elena because she always leaves the loveliest reviews 33)
There are Secret Service agents outside the restaurant and when they step inside, the place is completely empty except for the former president and first lady in the back of the room. Danny's hand rests on the small of her back as they make their way towards the other couple. Abbey practically jumps out of her seat when she sees them. Jed stands in a more civilized manner.
"C.J.!" Abbey yells and pulls her into a hug. C.J. let's Abbey hold her for a little longer than usual, needing the familiar comfort it brings her. "How are you?" Abbey asks as C.J. pulls away.
"I'm good, thank you. How are you?"
"Very well." Abbey eyes C.J. and gives her hand a gentle squeeze before moving on to Danny.
"Claudia Jean," Jed Bartlet says as he approaches, his arms stretched out towards her.
"Sir." She takes both his hands and leans down to kiss his cheek.
"C.J., how many times have I told you-"
"I think you'll simply have to live with it, sir," C.J. insists, a smile playing on her lips. All four of them sit down at the table.
"How was your flight?" C.J. asks, reaching for the menu.
"It was very pleasant. But we did not invite you here to talk about our flight," Jed says. "How are you? What's new?" C.J. draws in a sharp breath, hoping no one noticed. Danny nudges her knee with his own underneath the table. He noticed. He notices everything these days.
"Oh, not much," C.J. lies. "Danny's working on something, but he won't even tell me what it is, so I doubt you'll get much out of him."
"I don't know about that, I am the former President of the United States after all," Jed chuckles and everyone knows he's only half kidding. Danny laughs but doesn't say anything. A waiter comes over and pours everyone a glass of champaign but when he reaches C.J., she kindly shakes her head no. She can feel Abbey watching her from the other end of the table.
"No champaign, C.J.?" she asks and C.J. thinks she can detect just the tiniest smile on Abbey's face.
"No, thank you. I have a bit of a headache," C.J. tells her. Another lie. And Abbey knows it. C.J. can see it in her eyes. But she doesn't say anything and C.J. is grateful for it. She isn't ready yet.
"A headache, huh? I thought those go away when you leave the White House," Jed says and C.J. laughs awkwardly as she sips her water.
Over dinner, they chat about old times and Ellie's newborn son and Jed proudly shows them the pictures he keeps in his wallet. Abbey swats his arm when he goes on about how little Noah will be a great economist one day "just like his grandfather" and C.J. laughs out loud. She can feel Danny watching her, can feel Abbey watching her and even Jed seems to be eyeing her carefully and suddenly, she can't stand it anymore.
"What I said before was a lie," she blurts out. Everyone turns towards her.
"Sorry?" Jed asked, slightly amused by her small outburst.
"About not having any news. That was a lie," C.J. explains. Danny reaches over and takes her hand underneath the table. Abbey puts her knife and fork down and looks at C.J. with so much kindness in her eyes, it almost makes her cry. C.J. clears her throat before speaking again. "Danny and I- well... We have something to tell you. And I didn't want to do it over the phone- that didn't seem quite right." She's shaking a bit, grateful for Danny's hand in hers.
"C.J., are you sick?" Jed asks, concern visible on his face.
"No, no, I'm not sick," C.J. assures him.
"Because if you were-"
"No, really. I'm alright." C.J. offers him a reassuring smile. "It's not serious. Or- well… I guess it is. But not bad serious. Good serious." C.J. takes a deep breath, willing herself to look at up and meet Abbey's eyes. She doesn't know why this is so hard for her. "I'm pregnant." It comes out more as a whisper but the giant smile on Abbey's face proves that she was perfectly able to hear what C.J. said.
"You're pregnant?" Jed repeats. C.J. nods, almost shyly, as Danny squeezes her hand. "That's wonderful!" Jed jumps from his chair and rushes over to kiss C.J. on the cheek. "Congratulations," he tells her, and she can't stop a single tear from escaping. Jed wipes it away and takes both her hands in his. "Whatever you need, C.J.. Just call. We'll fly in on a helicopter if need be." C.J. nods, unable to speak at the moment. Abbey is out of her chair as well, congratulating Danny but when Jed steps aside she practically throws her arms around C.J..
"Congratulations, my dear," she says and puts her hands on C.J. shoulders. "How are you feeling?" Before C.J. can even respond, Abbey has already moved on to the next question. "Are you getting enough sleep? How's the morning sickness? You're not working too hard, are you?" At this, Danny shoots C.J. a knowing look and C.J. rolls her eyes at him.
"I'm alright. I'm getting more sleep than I used to. The morning sickness is alright and I'm trying not to work too hard. Although if you ask Danny, he'll tell you that's not true," C.J. says as everyone returns to their seats.
"Danny, is she working too hard?" Jed asks, shooting C.J. a look. "Because that's my grandchild in there and will not have anything happen to it." C.J.'s breath catches in her throat and tears well in her eyes. Danny laces his fingers through hers as he speaks.
"I think she deserves a bit of a break, but you know C.J…." Jed chuckles as C.J. side eyes Danny.
"How far along are you?" Abbey asks as the waiter takes away their plates.
"Not quite three months. We're not really telling people yet."
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Abbey assures her.
"Yeah." C.J. takes a deep breath, looking down at her hands.
"C.J.?" Abbey says. She looks up. "It will be."
"If there's one thing I've learned through the many, many years I've been married to this woman, it's that she's always right," Jed says. "There's no point in arguing with her." C.J. smiles and absentmindedly places her free hand on her stomach. "One more thing, C.J.," he adds, giving her a stern look. "We really can't have you calling this child's grandfather 'sir', can we?" C.J. lets out a laugh and shakes her head.
"Jed, leave the poor girl alone," Abbey tells him, giving his arm a playful swat.
"No, really, C.J., I can't stand you calling me 'sir' all the time. It makes me feel so old."
"You are old," Abbey reminds him.
"I am not!" Jed insists.
"I'll think about it, sir," C.J. says. She really doesn't think she'll ever be able to bring herself to call him Jed.
"And you too, Danny. You're family. All three of you." Danny smiles.
"Thank you, sir. But I do think that would take some getting used to."
"As long as you've stopped once the baby arrives, it's all good."
"I think we can work on that," C.J. says before standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." Both Danny and Jed rise when she leaves the table and sit down again when she's out of sight.
"Danny," Jed begins.
"Yes, sir?"
"How is she really?"
"She's alright," Danny assures him. "She's tired but she's alright. The morning sickness is worse than she likes to admit."
"How's the baby? Is everything alright?" Abbey asks. Danny takes a deep breath.
"The baby's okay. They said the heartbeat isn't as strong as they'd like but we shouldn't worry right now," he tells her. "And C.J.'s blood pressure is a little high."
"Oh, Danny, I'm sure it'll be okay." Abbey smiles kindly.
"Yeah." Danny pauses for a moment before continuing. "Listen, I have something I would like to ask you."
"Be my guest," Jed says. Danny looks over his shoulder to make sure C.J. isn't right behind him.
"I want to ask C.J. to marry me." Abbey lets out a delighted gasp. Jed isn't so sure yet.
"That's great, Danny," Abbey says.
"Do you love her?" Jed asks then. Abbey shoots him a look Danny is glad not be on the receiving end of.
"Yes, sir. Very much," Danny says.
"Are you ever going to leave her?"
"No, sir."
"Jed!" Abbey shouts but the former president ignores her.
"Are you going to break her heart?"
"No, sir." Danny knows how much C.J. means to him, knows he isn't joking about this.
"Because that's my daughter and if you ever hurt her, I will send my agents after you."
"I understand," Danny says. "I love her very much. And I would never do anything to hurt her."
"We know, Danny," Abbey assures him, glaring at her husband.
"I guess I just wanted to know if I had your blessing," Danny mumbles. "I know how much you mean to her."
"Of course, you have our blessing," Abbey laughs.
"Well…," Jed says.
"Jed!" Abbey hits his arm.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Of course, you can ask C.J. to marry you." Danny feels relieved, not that he had expected anything else, but it feels good to know that he really does have their blessing. Danny hears the clicking of her heels behind him and both him and Jed stand up again as she approaches.
"You really don't have to keep doing that," C.J. says and sits down. The two men do the same.
"It's polite," Jed reminds her.
"So, what did I miss? Were you guys talking about me?"
"You're hardly that interesting," Danny jokes which earns him a slap on the back of his head from C.J..
"I think we've all been sitting down for too long," Jed declares and stands up. "I think it's time to dance."
"Dance?" C.J. asks, eyebrows raised.
"Yes, Claudia Jean. Dance. You know the thing you do at parties or in ballrooms. It usually involves two people-"
"I'm familiar with the concept," C.J. interrupts. Jed holds out his hand to her and C.J. takes it without hesitation. "Danny, you go dance with Abbey. But watch where you put your hands." Both C.J. and Abbey roll their eyes and Danny turns crimson. Music starts playing and Jed leads her onto the small dancefloor.
"Got any names yet?" Jed asks as they sway to the music.
"Sorry, sir?"
"For the baby."
"Oh, no, not yet. We can't seem to agree on one," C.J. laughs, glancing over at Danny. He catches her eye and offers her a kind smile.
"You've still got plenty of time," Jed assures her. "Abbey and I could never agree on the names. In the end, you're the one doing all the hard work. He'll let you choose."
"He better!"
"C.J., I hope I didn't step over the line when I said that was my grandchild," Jed says then. "I know your father's still alive. I didn't mean to-"
"No, sir, not at all," C.J. hurries to say. "I was very touched." Tears well in C.J.'s eyes again but she swallows them, determined not to cry. "My dad… he's… well he's not really here anymore. Most of the time he doesn't know who I am. I doubt he'd be able to actually be there for this kid."
"I'm sorry, C.J.." Jed squeezes her hand.
"It's alright. I've made my piece with it." It's true. She has. That doesn't make it any easier. "It means a lot to me that you want to be involved."
"You're family, Claudia Jean. And I'll make damn sure that kid doesn't miss out on any grandparent fun, you hear me?" C.J. laughs as Jed spins her around. Her heels are killing her, but she doesn't mind. This is worth it.
"Thank you, sir." The song ends and Danny comes up behind her.
"May I have this next dance?" C.J. rolls her eyes and places her hand in Danny's. Out of the corner of her eye, she watches as Jed wraps his arms around Abbey, placing a soft kiss on her lips.
"I want us to be like that," C.J. says as she rests her hands on Danny's shoulders.
"We are like that," Danny laughs.
"No, I mean when we're older."
"We will be," Danny assures her, kissing her cheek. His hand feels nice on the small of her back as he pulls her closer.
"I don't hate every name you suggest," C.J. says.
"Okay?" Danny spins her around, her feet practically floating across the floor.
"No, I just mean- I don't hate them. Well except for Gail and Elvis. And maybe Norman… that one was particularly bad."
"See, you were doing so well. Apologizing and everything. And then you go ahead and ruin it," Danny jokes, a sparkle in his eyes as he watches her.
"Well… I tried." C.J. shrugs and reaches for Danny's tie, twisting it around her finger.
"Yeah. It's the thought that counts," Danny agrees.
"Mhm. The thought…" C.J. moves her face closer to Danny's, their noses only inches apart. Danny closes the distance between them, softly kissing her lips.
"Ey!" Jed yells from across the room. C.J. breaks away, smiling, her face red.
"Jed!" Abbey hisses for probably the tenth time that evening. "Leave them alone!"
"Danny, I like you," Jed goes on, ignoring Abbey, "but I don't appreciate that kind of behavior." C.J. smiles at her feet, unable to look at Jed – or Danny for that matter.
"Sorry, sir. I'll try to control myself."
"Try harder," Jed mumbles and C.J. thinks she sees Abbey smack his arm. She shakes her head and hides her face in Danny's shoulder.
They dance until dessert is served accompanied by Abbey telling Jed he eats too much sugar and Jed telling her not to fuss. Danny chuckles to himself as he cuts his cake.
"Don't you laugh, Danny Concannon," Jed says, pointing his fork at Danny. "One day C.J. will forbid you from eating anything that brings you joy, and you'll remember this moment, wishing you had appreciated that chocolate cake more."
"He's not wrong, you know," C.J. tells Danny. "It'll be payback time for not allowing me to have coffee in the morning."
"These women. They'll be the end of us," Jed says and Danny agrees, earning both of them stern looks from both Abbey and C.J..
When diner is over and they decide to call it a night, Jed pulls C.J. aside by the door.
"I expect weekly calls, Claudia Jean," he tells her. "I want to know how you're doing. And don't you dare even think about lying to me. I'll know."
"Alright, sir. I promise I won't lie," C.J. laughs, touched by his concern.
"And if there's ever anything you need – and I mean anything – don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you. That means a lot." Jed squeezes her hands pulls her down to kiss her cheek.
"I'm so happy for you, C.J.. Leo would be too." A lump forms in C.J.'s throat but she swallows it down. Abbey pushes Jed away and envelopes C.J. in a motherly hug.
"C.J., I really don't know who you thought you were fooling when you walked in here, acting like nothing was going on. You're glowing." Abbey gently strokes her cheek. The gesture reminds C.J. of how her mother would always put her hand on C.J.'s face when she had a nightmare and tell her everything would be alright.
"I don't know about that," C.J. dismisses her.
"You are!" Abbey insists. "Being pregnant suits you."
"That's because I haven't ballooned up yet," C.J. jokes, although she's only half kidding.
"Don't be silly. You'll still look gorgeous."
"Thank you," C.J. mumbles. Danny steps up behind her, his hand resting gently on her waist.
"You have to come visit us on the farm," Abbey insists as they step outside, a car already waiting for them.
"I'm sure we can figure something out," C.J. assures her.
"Don't forget about those calls!" Jed yells as he walks away.
"I won't!" C.J. yells back, waving goodbye. When the car drives away, C.J. and Danny stand in front of the restaurant for a moment.
"You did well in there," Danny tells her as he slips his hand into hers.
"Thanks."
"Feel better now?" They start walking back towards their apartment.
"A bit," C.J. sighs. She does feel better. It feels good to have told them, to know that they'll be there for her. But she still has that nagging feeling in her chest, that feeling that they're not entirely out of the woods yet. Danny stops, sensing something's wrong.
"C.J.?"
"Yeah?"
"It'll be okay." He tugs her hand, pulling her closer.
"You think so?"
"Yeah. I do." Danny kisses the back of her hand. "And you'll be great." C.J. smiles at him, biting her lower lip. "You'll be the best mom."
"Yeah, I'll be pretty awesome."
"You'll read her bedtime stories and kiss her goodnight. And you'll walk her to school and comfort her when she's heartbroken and tell her the world is a better place because she's in it." C.J. gives Danny's hand a gentle squeeze.
"I've changed my mind again though. It's definitely a boy," C.J. says as they walk on.
"Yeah?"
"I know these things," she assures him.
"You said that the last twelve times before changing your mind," Danny reminds her.
"No, this time I'm really sure," C.J. insists.
"If you say so." Danny shrugs and leads her across the street.
"I do say so."
"Okay." Danny doesn't sound convinced.
"What?" C.J. laughs, her free hand resting on her stomach. She likes to keep it there, protecting her kid.
"I just think you're wrong," Danny says as they turn the corner.
"Oh yeah?" C.J. raises both her eyebrows at him. They stop in front of their apartment building. C.J. wraps her arms around Danny's neck, his hands resting protectively on her waist.
"Yeah."
"So, you think it's a girl?" C.J. pulls him a little closer.
"Mhm." His nose is only inches away from hers.
"Why?"
"Just a feeling," Danny tells her.
"Well you're feeling's wrong."
"We'll see," Danny says.
"Yeah. We'll see," is all C.J. manages to get out before his lips are on hers.
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. And don't worry the Bartlets will be back. Reviews are always appreciated!