The Promise

In response to Lida Rose's TB/DC Birthday Challenge

CJ/Danny, others

Maybe PG for what it implies

Spoilers through end of series

Feedback and constructive criticism always welcomed

They aren't mine, never were, never will be, but they consume my soul

In the original TWW universe, Josiah Bartlet's term of office was January 20, 1999 12 noon through January 20, 2007 12 noon so now it is one year ahead of the real universe. In the Wells S6/S7 universe, somehow Bartlet's term was only seven years and is in current reat time.

In my universe, which is a subset of the original TWW Universe, CJ and Danny's wedding will occur on Memorial Day weekend of 2007. There will be more of Danny's sister's backstory in my universe in future works

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June 12, 2007 -- Dubai , United Arab Emirates

She entered the parlor of the suite quietly and was glad she did, because her husband had fallen asleep in front of the television. ESPN International was broadcasting what appeared to be Australian Rules football.

She slipped off the lace scarf and the abaya, and was glad she had taken the Irish President's advice ("I find it easier to wear a pale light cotton abaya over a light weight dress, like their wives do", she said. "It's a lot more comfortable than a longsleeved pantsuit in the heat. If you're totally sure you won't be taken to the women's quarters to meet with the wives, you could probably get away without hose. Also, it shows respect for their customs and that sure can't hurt".)

They had spent the first 10 days of their honeymoon in a little house on a little island in the middle of a lake in the Scottish highlands near Inverness. Apparently Robin MacDonald was one of those MacDonald's ("if 36 other guys die, I'll be clan chieftain and you'll have to refer to me as 'The MacDonald' "), and had offered the use of one of the family's properties to his brother-in-law.

With the help of his brother-in-law, Danny had managed to duplicate what CJ had described last January as her dream vacation -- the Whitsunday Island experience that Ralph and Meggie had in The Thorn Birds but with housekeeping and room service. The only difference was the temperature -- it was a bit colder.There was a middle-aged couple who came over every evening about 6:00. While CJ and Danny had appetizers and cocktails outside on the terrace if it was nice or in the study if it wasn't, Mairi cleaned and dusted while her husband Ian, a very good cook, prepared dinner. After dinner, Mairi and Ian cleaned the kitchen, and dining room,loaded the dishwasher. They replenished the refrigerator with breakfast and lunch things. Taking any laundry that needed tending, they left the honeymooners to themselves by 9:30 or 10:00.

There was a heated pool and a hot tub. The island had a beach and although the lake was quite cold, they did sun themselves and even braved the waters once or twice. There was a rowboat and CJ insisted that Danny row her around the island one day. They did spend one morning at Loch Ness but didn't see the monster and they visited the battlefields where Bonnie Prince Charlie failed in his attempt to regain the British throne that afternoon. But for the most part, they read, they swam, wrote thank you notes to be mailed when they returned, they slept, and they made love in just about every room, in the rowboat (very carefully!), on the beach, in the hot tub, in the pool. They set a clock for 5:30 PM in order to make sure they were clothed when Mairi and Ian arrived.

Afterward, they spent some time in Ireland with Danny's family. Erin and Robin had bought some old Concannon family land between Galway and the airport at Shannon. There wasn't much left of the old house, but they had restored what little they could and had built a new addition.

Danny took her to Dublin; the president, whom she had met while she was Chief of Staff, held a reception for them. Then Franklin Hollis called her. All apologetic, he explained that the Sultan of Dubai had heard of his project and might be interested in helping. Could she and Danny go there for two days and explain what Phase I of "Road to a Better World" involved?

So here they were.

She went into the bedroom to change. If the customs personnel had inspected this particular bag, she wondered what they would have thought.

She made her final adjustments, grabbed what she needed, and went into the other room, calling out to her husband. She also sent a mental "thank you" to Carol for reminding her of last year.

June 12, 2006

She was rushing out of the Mural Room, already late for a meeting in the Roosevelt Room, when she spied the President and Mrs. Bartlet, Debbie, Margaret, and Carol, all surrounding Danny Concannon. They were eating cake.

"Hey, CJ, the Press Corps saved a piece for you", Carol said.

"Cake," she said. "Why is there cake?"

"Don't tell me you forgot Danny's birthday?", Mrs. Bartlet asked.

Oh, Lord. It was only there for a millisecond, but she could see the hurt in Danny's eyes. Her time in the White House was coming to an end, and as the date inched closer, the kidding became a little more tentative. The last couple of times he had been back, he would look at her and quietly give her a countdown ( "238 days, Claudia Jean"). Maybe, just maybe, he really meant it all these years. She didn't know if she was glad or afraid, or both.

"Oh, Danny, I am so sorry. It's been just such a zoo around here lately, I wouldn't even remember to go to the bathroom if Margaret didn't put it on my schedule. But I'll make it up to..." She stopped when he glanced quickly at the others. Not just her words, but her tone of voice and her expression were those she used with him only behind closed doors. She was on the verge of revealing so much. The others were staring at her and at him.

She had to save this somehow, make it seem light. She started walking toward the Roosevelt Room, turned around, and looked at him.

"Swear to God, Danny, next year I'll get you a stripper".