Author's Note: Takes place during season three's War Crimes. This also includes some callbacks to season three's On the Day Before, which is episode five.

"The Veto"

It was well after midnight when CJ was awoken by the knock on her door. She opened her eyes and got her bearings. She had fallen asleep on the couch with her briefing book on her lap. She ran her hand over her face and through her hair to wake herself up as she heard another knock.

"Coming," she said as she stumbled towards the door wondering who was knocking at on her door at quarter to one. She knew whatever it was that it couldn't be good. She swung open the door and saw Josh standing outside her door.

"Hey," he said when she opened the door.

"Hey," she said. "What's going on?"

"Hmm?" Josh asked.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked. "Is the president in trouble?"

"What?" Josh asked as he sauntered into the apartment. "No. Everything's fine."

CJ glanced at him as he entered her living room and took off his coat. She shrugged as she shut the door and locked it before she followed him into the room. "So you were just in the neighborhood?" she asked.

"Yeah," Josh replied.

"At one in the morning?"

"Yeah. Did I wake you up?" Josh asked, suddenly aware of the fact that CJ looked a little tired.

"I fell asleep on the couch," CJ said gathering up her briefing book and tossing it on the coffee table.

"Oh, sorry," Josh said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," CJ said waving him off. "So what's going on?"

Josh took a seat in the chair across from the couch and surveyed the room. "Nothing. I was out for a walk."

"Again I ask, at one in the morning?"

"I had to take care of something."

"And that would be?"

"Nothing I can really talk about," Josh said.

"But you're upset," CJ observed.

"A little," Josh replied.

"How bad is it?"

"I can't talk about it."

"So you came here to wake me up at one in the morning to tell me you're upset about something you can't talk about?"

"Well when you say it like it sounds bad," Josh replied.

"Josh."

"Everything is fine Claudia Jean. I'm just…Donna did something."

"What did she do?"

"Something really, really stupid," Josh said. "That's honestly all I can say about it."

CJ gave him a look.

"Seriously, I can't talk about it other than to say she really screwed up."

CJ didn't say anything for a moment. "Is this something I'm going to have to clean up?" she asked.

"No," Josh said confidently. "I took care of it."

"You're sure?" CJ asked seriously.

"I'm sure."

"So you're here because I'm your first call?"

"No," Josh shrugged. He stood up and paced back and forth a few times. "I'm here because I can't believe Donna. I can't believe she would do…what she did. I seriously wasn't sure whether I should be grateful that this was something I could clean up or if I should fire her."

"You wanted to fire her?" CJ asked surprised.

"I didn't want to," Josh replied.

"Josh, I know you said you took care of it, but what the hell did she do? You wanting to fire her is indicative of something pretty bad. How am I supposed to believe that it's taken care of?"

"I can't tell you," Josh said again. He walked over to the couch and sat next to CJ. "I honestly can't tell you, but it's fine now and it's nothing you need to worry about."

"Josh," CJ said wearily.

"I really didn't come over to bother you with this," Josh explained.

"No, you came because you're mad at Donna and you must think somewhere deep down that whatever it is that she did might turn into a problem," CJ replied.

"It isn't going to turn into a problem," Josh assured her.

"Do you remember once upon a time when you told me you could brief the press? It wasn't a problem? You had it taken care of?" CJ asked.

"That was different," Josh protested.

"I'm just saying, there's a track record with you telling me one thing and the exact opposite happening."

Josh took CJ's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I promise you that, aside from me killing Donna, you have nothing to worry about with the press," he said. His tone was jovial, but CJ could tell that deep down he was hurt by whatever Donna had done.

"Do you want to talk about it?" CJ asked leaning back on the couch. Josh didn't let go of her hand, he leaned back with her.

"Not really," he replied in a way that made CJ realize he really did want to talk.

"Okay, on a scale of 1 to Chernobyl," CJ began, "how bad was it; what Donna did?"

"What's a step below Chernobyl?" Josh quipped.

CJ just gave him a look of concern. "Sam said you were pissed at her, but I didn't realize it was such a big thing."

"Sam told you I was pissed?" Josh asked surprised.

"Come on," CJ said. "You know it's like junior high sometimes. He had some juicy gossip. I just didn't realize you were this mad."

"I'm not," Josh said without any conviction. "I just can't talk to her about it. She thinks we're fine now. I mean, not fine, but you know, I took care of it so she thinks we're good."

"And you're not?"

"Not really."

"She hurt you."

"No," Josh shook his head. "She…I don't know. Maybe she did."

"Did she hurt you emotionally or did she hurt you professionally?" CJ asked.

"Both I guess," Josh shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. What do you want to talk about then?"

Josh paused for a moment. "How about the fact that you took Chicago in the football pool today?" Josh asked sardonically.

"Shut up," CJ said letting go of his hand and swatting his shoulder. "Chicago was a very calculated choice."

"CJ, the only choice that would have been worse would have been picking Detroit."

"I don't follow football Josh," CJ defended herself. "I like Chicago as a town and I like bears as animals so sue me."

Josh chuckled at her. "See, this is why I came here."

"To mock me?"

"To hear you say you like bears as animals so you chose Chicago for the football pool with such innocence."

"So, to mock me then?" CJ reiterated.

"Exactly," Josh said before he scooted closer to her on the couch. "And maybe this."

He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. CJ was taken aback by the gesture. She thought Josh had shown up on her doorstep for sympathy, not a booty call. However, she couldn't help herself and she felt her hormones take over and when she felt Josh's moist tongue lick her lips she massaged his tongue with her own. She even welcomed him as she leaned back on the couch and he collapsed on top of her.

"Josh" she breathed as he moved his lips down her neck and nipped lightly at her collarbone. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn't quite get her brain to cooperate with her body.

"I forgot to tell you how good you looked the other night at the Nobel Prize dinner," Josh said as his hand wandered up her shirt. "That red dress was…"

"Thanks," CJ said as she kissed him again, one long, hard kiss before she broke the news to him that the night was going to take a turn he didn't expect. "Josh."

"Hmm," he said before crushing her lips onto hers again. The kiss was hungry and purposeful and CJ could remember a time when they were together that was just as passionate. It was a good memory, but tonight, underneath the passion, CJ could feel a hint of anger and she didn't want Josh to escape his problems with her. It would only lead to bad things.

CJ summoned her willpower and sat up, propelling Josh into an upright position. "You okay?" Josh asked with a quizzical look on his face. He was clearly surprised by her action.

"Yeah," CJ said swallowing hard. "No. We can't do this."

"We can't?"

"We shouldn't," CJ shook her head. She stood up and put a physical distance between herself and Josh. She worried that if she didn't, she might be compelled to jump on his lap and just go with what her body was begging for.

Josh stayed seated on the couch and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he said confused. "I thought…can I ask what just happened?"

CJ ran her hand through her hair. "I don't want to sleep with you when you're upset about Donna," CJ said simply.

"What?" Josh asked confused.

"You and Donna had some sort of fight," CJ explained. "You're upset about her and you came over here to sleep with me to forget it. Right now that might make sense, but in the morning we're going to feel bad about it so I'm just helping us avoid the whole awkward situation."

Josh thought about what she said before responding. He stood up. "This isn't about Donna," he said finally.

"It's not?"

"No."

"So it's about a booty call then," CJ said.

"No," Josh sighed. "It's about…it's about feeling good after a couple of rough days. You know, two minutes ago I got the feeling that you were on board with this."

"I know. It's not that I'm…not," CJ sighed. "It's just a bad idea. When this all started we agreed to ground rules. I'm exercising my veto."

Josh laughed. "What?" CJ asked.

"It's just oddly appropriate that the president exercised his first veto last week and now all of sudden you are too." He laughed again. "Come on Claudia Jean, you have to see the humor."

"You think this is funny?" CJ asked with a grin.

"Kind of. Plus, you know, it's like two in the morning," he chuckled.

"Well I'm glad to see I needn't worry about your ego," CJ laughed.

"No, you're right," Josh said taking a seat again. "I did come here thinking that being together would take my mind off the whole Donna thing. That isn't fair."

"Things aren't going to be weird because of this are they?" CJ asked feeling calmed by his lack of anger over the situation.

"No," Josh dismissed her. "We're good. You're right."

"Can I get that writing?"

"Let me clarify: at this given moment in time you're right about this particular situation. You're not right about everything all the time."

"Just the fact that you're conceding it now is a win in my book," CJ teased him.

"I'm sorry I put you in this weird situation where you needed to tell me I was being an idiot."

"You weren't being an idiot. You were escaping from a really crappy day. There's nothing wrong with that." She walked back over to the couch and took a seat.

Josh looked over at her. "She really messed up CJ," Josh said.

"I know," CJ replied. She saw that he was angry and a little bit hurt by whatever Donna had done. She wasn't sure how to make it better, but she figured that just letting him talk might help.

Josh took a breath and exhaled deeply. "Do you think…do you think it's like this because we're too wrapped up in each other's stuff?"

"You and Donna have a unique relationship," CJ commented.

"Co-dependent," Josh said.

"Maybe a little," CJ shrugged. "You're very close. Carol and I are close, but we're not braiding each other's hair at a slumber party and giggling over boys."

"Okay, one, if you and Carol ever do braid each other's hair at a sleepover, call me. I'm talking speed dial. Two, I've seen you and Carol giggle over boys."

"Okay, fine, but you know what I mean. Carol knows about me, but not every tiny detail of my life. She doesn't live and die by my success and failure."

"You think that's how it is with me and Donna?"

"A little, yeah," CJ replied honestly.

"I guess that could be true."

"Look, right now you're upset and things seem bad," CJ said. "But if I know Donna, and I think I do, you're gonna go back to work tomorrow and she'll be there waiting to prove herself to you again."

"What if she can't?"

"She will. You won't let it be any other way," CJ said simply.

Josh was silent for a moment as he leaned his head back into the cushion of the couch. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"You're welcome."

"This might have actually been what I really needed," he said as he stood up and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair.

"What can I say, I'm a genius," CJ smiled at him.

"I'm not saying sex wouldn't have been right up there on the list."

"Of course not," CJ said standing.

"It's just probably not something I needed, like I needed the pep talk."

"Right."

"But this whole veto thing," Josh ventured. "Shouldn't there be some way to override?"

"No," CJ smiled. "When it comes to the veto we live in a dictatorship."

"What if I throw in a moratorium on grazing and stricter restrictions on the use of antibiotics in milk?" Josh grinned, letting his dimples show.

CJ reached out and tucked his shirt under his coat before zipping it up for him. "Tempting, but no."

"What if I promise not to run a good candidate in your district?"

"What if I say that this is one veto and the next bill that comes across my desk stands a much better chance at passing?"

"I can live with that," Josh said. "Thanks again."

"Anytime mi amour," CJ said leaning over and giving him a chaste peck on the lips.

"I'll see you in about four hours."

"That you will. I bet Donna will have the finest bagels in the land for you too."

"You're welcome to come get one."

"Good night Joshua."

"Good night Claudia Jean."

TBC