The Third Birch Tree on the Left
CJ/Danny, Josh/Donna, Charlie/Zoey, just about everyone else in the West Wing
Adult/Mature
Spoilers through end of series
Not mine, never were, never will be, but they consume my soul
Many thanks to Gemma for letting me borrow her name.
Feedback and criticism always welcomed
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July 3, 2010 Manchester, NH
"Good afternoon, madam. May I say that you look very beautiful today?"
"Well, aren't you just the kindest man? Thank you."
"You're welcome. Friend of the bride or friend of the groom?"
"Friend of both; may I sit with those two blond-haired women about a quarter of the way back from the front on the groom's side?"
"I'm sure they would like the company." He offered her his right arm and escorted her to the pew. "Perhaps you would like to come to my hotel room tonight?"
Five pews back, the middle-aged African-American woman in the purple ensemble sputtered again to her companion in the red ensemble.
"Lydia, I never! First, he kisses the blondes on the cheek and now he gave that tall light brunette a kiss that belongs in a bedroom and propositioned her! Where did Charles find these ushers?"
A third woman, clothed in a peacock blue outfit, leaned toward them from the pew immediately behind.
"That's his wife that he just kissed. Don't you recognize her? That's the one that was President Bartlet's press secretary and then she took over the whole mess when that other man had his heart attack. And the one blonde, the one that's pregnant clear into Vermont, she's the wife of the best man, she's Mrs. Santos' assistant. The other one also worked in the White House. They're all good friends. I declare, Esther, you need to A - start reading something else besides your Bible and B - get a romantic bone in your body!"
Most of the "West Wing gang" was sitting on Charlie's side of the church. The Bartlet's had invited many "have to" guests. Charlie did have his grandparents, some neighbors and friends, a few aunts, and some fellow parishioners who made the trip for his wedding, but there was definitely more room on his side. Plus, with Josh, Danny, Will, Toby, Ed, and Larry in the wedding party, it made sense for their companions to sit on the groom's side.
CJ exchanged a quick kiss with Kate Harper, promising to catch up more at the reception. Kate had come directly from Logan and hadn't yet been to the inn that the group had taken over for the weekend. Between Charlie's grandparents, the Bartlet relatives, and President and Mrs. Santos (because the Secret Service had decided that with the level of protection already there, it was the best place for them to stay) the Bartlet farm was booked solid. CJ and Danny would spend Monday and Tuesday night with the former first couple, as would Ellie and Vic. The Bartlet's had invited Bonnie, Jean-Luc, Nancy, and Jesse to stay with them also. However, Bonnie wanted to spend more time with Ginger. Nancy knew that Jed Bartlet would be uncomfortable with giving Jesse and her a shared bedroom and decided to go to New Jersey with Ginger, Rick, Bonnie, and Jean-Luc on Monday. The Washington crowd would be traveling back to DC on Monday also, but everyone, including the Bartlet's, would be in Cape May by next Friday.
Everyone else had arrived the previous afternoon or earlier. After the wedding rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner was held at the "West Wing clique" inn. Pictures were passed around of the latest modifications to the "Lyman Place" in Virginia, Bonnie and Jean-Luc's place in San Luis Obispo, the latest pictures of Noah, Paddy, and Celia, of course, and pictures from the Pulitzer ceremony where Danny received his third award, the one for Leo's biography.
"So how many more are you going to get, Danny?" John Hoynes asked, his arm casually draped over Margaret's shoulder.
"I hope he gets at least one more," CJ answered for her husband. "I'd like to be able to see him get at least one of them!"
"You weren't able to go this time?" Margaret asked. "When we talked at Carol and David's wedding, you said you would be back for the ceremony at the end of the month."
"The day we were scheduled to fly out, Paddy got a really bad cold and infection, he was running a 101 degree fever; I didn't want to leave him. I barely managed to persuade Danny to go."
CJ felt vaguely uncomfortable around Margaret. In May, just before they left the dinner that the Bartlet's held to celebrate Charlie's graduation, John had quietly told her that he intended to let Margaret know about "that night". "For the same reason I told you to tell Danny," he explained. "God forbid, if it should come out, I don't want her blindsided."
Logically, she understood it, agreed with it. Logically, she knew she didn't owe Margaret anything by way of excuse, reason, or apology. But she felt as if she were walking on eggshells around Margaret, was hesitant to talk with her.
"It was the first, and so far, only time," Danny rapped on the wooden table, "he's been sick. We were both out of our minds. As to your question, John, I take whatever they give me, but I'm not writing for the prizes, I'm writing because I think that there are stories that need to be told."
"And for the money," CJ added. "Can you imagine how much it will cost to put these babies through school in another twenty years?"
"Shoulda thought of that before you seduced me." Danny hugged the waist of the woman sitting on his lap.
"I don't even want to think about it," David answered.
"Well, here's hoping you get one for Admiral Fitzwallace's book," Ellie said. "It's coming out in August, right? I forget the title?"
"It's 'Beat That with a Stick'. Sam suggested it; apparently Fitz was fond of the expression," Danny answered her.
John asked, "Will you two be coming down to Washington after New Jersey?"
"No, we're off to Ireland for a couple of weeks, to see my sister and her family, and then it's back to Santa Monica. Besides, all of you have a lot to do with the convention coming up in August."
"Nothing like what we had four years ago," Will said. "This will be a victory lap and a pep rally."
"Okay, cats and kittens, I need all the guys in our suite." Josh came up to the group. "Zoey and her parents just left. It's time for us to give Charlie his last night of freedom!"
"Are you just kicking out Donna and Noah on the patio?" CJ asked. "I don't think that's very nice thing to do to a pregnant lady."
"They're going to be in with me," Debbie told the group. "I have two beds in my room."
"Actually, I'm looking forward to being in a bed by myself. Winken, Blinken, and Nod have been acting up this evening. Just remember, Joshua, I expect to come in tomorrow morning to nothing worse than what your place was like back when I was the power behind your throne."
Danny urged CJ to stand up, and then nudged her down into his seat. As he bent over to kiss her, his action was repeated by Rick (with Ginger), David (with Carol), Vic (with Ellie), and John (with Margaret). Each of the men whispered pretty much the same thing into the ear of the woman he was kissing. "I won't stay too late, and if Josh was dumb enough to get a stripper, I'll be leaving right away."
About four hours later, Danny let himself into the room where his wife and son were sleeping. He checked on the baby, went into the bathroom, and stripped down to his boxers.
As he got into bed, CJ stirred, turned around, and sleepily lifted her face for a kiss. "So how was it?"
"Not bad. Some football films, a keg, some wings. Josh did get a porno, but it was like watching one of those old marijuana scare films. We treated it like camp, pointing out how impossible everything was."
"So it didn't turn you on?"
"Actually, it turned me off."
"Oh."
Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? "But I'm sure that you could make me do a one-eighty on that rather quickly." He began to kiss her neck.
As it turned out, he was right.
-----
After greeting Kate, CJ turned to Donna and asked if she was doing okay. Donna and Josh weren't at breakfast and CJ was worried about her.
"Pretty much," she answered. Then she giggled and whispered, "We were otherwise occupied. I think the horniness is in direct proportion to the number of kids. I've got poor Josh just about all worn out!"
"You know, when I was carrying Paddy, I thought it was because I was nervous after losing the twins, but you may be right."
"Oh, CJ, I'm sorry, I didn't think! I didn't mean to bring up sad memories." Donna reached over and gave her friend a quick hug."
"It's okay. I mean, I'll always miss them, but things are okay. Oops, my phone is vibrating." She reached into her pocket, looked at the face of the phone and started reading. "G-R-L6#8-1-5-B-U-T-F-L M-R-G-N - 1- D-R-F-L O-N-T-P-W-R-L-D S-A-M".
"Omagod!" Donna exclaimed. And she and CJ started spreading the word. Sam and Morgan had just had a little girl, 6 pounds, 8 ounces, 15 inches long. According to Sam, she was beautiful, Morgan was wonderful, and he was on top of the world. When Larry came down to seat Ginger and Rick in the pew behind them, they asked him to get the word to the others.
Danny came to their pew again, this time with Carol on his arm, David following behind. After the two of them slid past CJ and Donna, Danny leaned down and kissed CJ again.
"Are you going to do this every time you take someone to their place, Mr. One A and One A Plus?"
Danny had definitely gotten into the studying groove this last semester. He had learned his grades right after they returned from Carol's wedding, but it was only last week that they learned that because of his grades, he was being given a grant to cover tuition for six semester hours for the upcoming academic year. They had celebrated by booking first class seats not only for this part of their trip east, but also for their flights down to Philadelphia, over to Ireland, and then back to California.
"Sounds like a plan. Well, would you look at that!"
He stepped aside as Will came down the aisle with Helen Santos on his arm, followed by the President, and then by one of Charlie's law school buddies escorting Margaret, with John Hoynes bringing up the rear.
The party stopped at the fourth pew on the bride's side. The former Vice-president entered first, followed by Margaret and then Matt Santos. Helen was on the aisle.
Donna leaned over CJ so Danny could hear. "The President and Josh have come to think the world of Margaret. About time, in my book."
A few minutes later, Danny brought Bonnie and Jean-Luc to sit with Ginger and Rick (taking the time to kiss CJ one more time), Toby escorted Andi and his children to sit behind Ginger, and Ed and Larry each brought their wives (and Ed's kids) to the pew to join Andi.
It was almost time for everything to start when Nancy and Jesse Muñoz joined Ginger, Rick, Carol, and David in the pew behind CJ. Ginger's good-natured teasing was apparently close to the mark, given the lovely shade of pink that suffused Nancy's face, shoulders, and upper arms.
Liz, Vic, and Gus were seated by Toby and a hush overtook the guests.
As "Canon in D" was played on a harp, Will escorted Charlie's grandmother to the front pew and Danny performed the same courtesy for Abbey Bartlet.
Charlie Young stood at the altar waiting for the procession to begin.
Josh Lyman leaned over and whispered into his ear. "It took you over ten years, but you got the girl out of the Bartlet castle dungeon."
There was no question as to who would be his best man. True, Danny Concannon helped, with his "sage dating advice" about being there, hassle-free for her, and he also helped on that one point where Josh had no first-hand experience.
But, in the end, it was Josh. Josh, who introduced them over a steaming pot of chili that wintry night in 1999. Josh, who, on that fateful day some seven years ago, convinced him to honor a promise made 3 and a half years earlier, encouraged him to find the Paeonia Japonica in the Arboretum, who accompanied him there as he met with and kissed her, a kiss that could have well been (but wasn't, thank God) one of the last kisses she would ever give anyone. Josh, who stood by him in that awful time when Wes told him that her disappearance wasn't a schoolgirl prank but a kidnapping following the murder of a Treasury agent.
The orchestra switched to Handel's "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" and the ushers – guys from the National Black Law Students Association, Toby, Ed, and Larry came down the aisle two by two, followed by the groomsmen – Danny, of course, Will, and two more guys from NBLSA. He wished that Anthony, the "little brother" he took on after Simon Donovan's death could have been there, but Anthony and the rest of the Endeavour crew were racing on their way to the space station to begin a new tour of duty in the heavens.
He was so proud of Anthony. Simon had laid the foundation, and Charlie and CJ had been there for support, but it was Anthony that took the ball and ran with it, bringing up his grades, earning an Air Force ROTC scholarship to Howard and Detachment 130, known as the "Screaming Eagles"; who was now a major in the United States Air Force and a valued NASA astronaut.
And next spring, please God, Charlie would be in a similar tuxedo, walking down a church aisle with his Deanna on his arm, to give her hand to the man in the Air Force dress uniform.
Now came the four bridesmaids, to the Intermezzo from "Carmen", ("Carmen?" the former President asked his daughter. "Yes, Daddy, 'Carmen'. It's pretty." "But the story" "I don't care, it's pretty."), two of Zoey's friends, her sister Ellie, and her niece Annie. Liz demurred on being a bridesmaid, saying it would be too "weird" for both mother and daughter to fill that role. Then came Deanna as maid of honor, all grown up, about to enter her final year of veterinary school at Tufts, and looking forward to being a bride herself.
Then, the organ sounded the opening bars of Clarke's "Prince of Denmark" and Josh leaned over again to whisper in his ear. "Get ready for the most beautiful sight you've ever seen; it will only be surpassed when you see her for the first time with your child in her arms."
"You trying to tell me something Zoey should be telling me?"
And then the doors opened and there she was, on her father's left arm because he needed the cane in his right.
Zoey Patricia Bartlet stared at him through the veil that covered her face but could not hide the glow of her skin, the joy in her eyes.
"I should call you Zoey?"
"If I can call you Charlie."
She passed the pew with Debbie Fiderer. He wondered why Debbie wasn't sitting further up front with the rest of the West Wing crowd. If Debbie hadn't taken notice of him, given his paperwork to Josh –
"No, I meant 'cause it would be cool to go out or something."
"I'm sorry, you mean, with me?"
She passed the pew with Lord Marbury. The man was certainly an enigma. On the one hand, he was one of the most urbane, most intelligent men Charlie had ever met, excluding his father-in-law-to-be, of course. On the other, he could be the most outrageous fop in the world. Or maybe that was mostly an act, a cover.
"It's hard to tell the difference between those times and the others."
"Doesn't that suck for you?"
She passed the pew with Gina Toscano. The shooting had done a number on Gina and she had moved into ATF for a while. While she was there, Gina met and married a really great guy and had eventually taken a desk job when she had her first child.
"Charlie, you're taking extra protection, right?"
"Hey, Leo, I - "
"Secret Service protection, Charlie, but thanks for loading me up with that image!"
She passed the pew that held Mallory and her husband. Like everyone else, he missed Leo just about every day. He was glad that Danny's book had done so well, that he had been honored for it, that more people would know about the greatness that was Leo Thomas McGarry.
"Stop pursuing me."
"Respectfully, no."
"Why?"
"Because I'm in love with you. And that's the way it goes."
She passed the pew that held CJ, Donna, and Kate. Danny may have had a shorter wait, but at least Charlie had access to Zoey's heart and other parts periodically throughout the past eleven years. He didn't know if he could have held out, and held on, the way Danny did for so long. And CJ, too. She knew what she felt, he was sure, and she stuck to her principles, at the risk of not having happiness in her life. He had really come to respect and admire CJ while working as one of her assistants when she was Chief of Staff. Maybe after this clerkship, he might want to work with her again, if there was a place for him in "Road to a Better World."
"And I'm confused about you."
"Well, I can't advise you on that."
She passed the pew that held Helen and Matt Santos, Margaret and John Hoynes. He wondered if Margaret and the former Vice-president would ever marry. He was sure that if it were up to the man, they already would be.
"I should go to the party."
"Yeah."
She passed the pew with his grandparents. If only he hadn't asked his mother to switch shifts, she could be sitting there. If only he had not pushed Zoey away, pushed her to go to that club. But he had his pride, or at least that's what he thought at the time, and he had his limits. At the time, he thought that if Zoey had stayed with him that night, and if they ended up in bed (and at the time he was sure they would), and then she went ahead and traveled to France with Jean-Paul the next day, he wouldn't be able to look himself in the mirror. He knew, even then, that he wanted to be more than a "friend with privileges" to her. It would be all or nothing. And, praise God, in a few minutes, it would be "all".
"Sir, would I have your blessing?"
She passed the pew that held her mother. Charlie always felt that Zoey's mother had been on his side, though not necessarily on the side of marriage. He sometimes got the impression that she would have been perfectly happy if the two of them had just decided to shack up for a few years.
Then the President (and, for him, there was only one), shook his hand, reached under her veil, kissed her cheek, put her hand in his, and stepped back to the first pew to join his wife.
Danny Concannon approached the lectern and began to read the Hebrew poem to the worthy wife from Proverbs. Danny occasionally glanced over to Zoey and him, but his focus always went back to that pew about seven or eight back on the groom's side where CJ was sitting. It was obvious who Danny thought was the subject of the reading.
If he could have had a second best man, it would have been Danny. In fact, since Josh wasn't a baptized Christian, it would be Danny signing the official church register as witness.
He remembered back to that day about 2 weeks after he followed Danny's advice and appeared at her dorm room door with flowers, popcorn, and videos.
He ran into Josh in the Mural Room.
"Hey, Josh, you got a minute?"
"Sure, whatcha need?"
"Well, it's kind of private - "
"So shut the door."
"It's Zoey. She's says she's ready to take our relationship to the next level, as it were, and -- Josh, have you ever been with a girl for the first time?"
"Charlie, everyone who's been with a girl had to have a first time."
"No, I mean with a girl when it was her first time. I mean there was Shaneequa Wilson, but she slept with a different guy every time she changed her underwear. And then I spent some time with another girl, but she was also experienced, though not nearly as much as Shaneequa. But I've never been with a girl who hadn't ever been with a guy, I was wondering what I need to know or do?"
Josh realized that in his almost 25 years of sexual experience, he, too, had never been someone's "first". "Charlie, I'm afraid all I know about that is what I've read in books. Maybe Sam can help us."
When they reached the Communications area, Sam wasn't in his office.
"There's Toby," Josh started.
"No way am I asking Toby. That would be like asking Leo, or the President," Charlie shuddered. Josh had the same reaction to the thought.
"I guess you're right. Hey, here's Danny."
"Josh, Danny's a reporter! I can't ask him!"
"But you told me he gave you good advice a couple of weeks ago. Danny, will you go off the record?"
Danny looked at Josh's face. This was serious. "Sure. What do you - "?
"I mean, really, really, off the record?"
Quietly, almost hurt at the implication. "Yes."
"Okay, let's go to my office."
Shutting the door, Josh began to explain. "Zoey wants to become intimate, she's never, and Charlie -".
Danny interrupted him, speaking directly to Charlie.
"Is this what you want also, Charlie? Not just the fact of having sex, but dealing with all the special issues, knowing that her agents would be right outside the door, that sort of thing?"
"Yes, I think I do, but I don't know how to go about, I mean, like I told Josh, I've been with two girls before, but never with a - , I was wondering -."
"You're wondering if I've I ever made love with a virgin and if I have, is there any advice I can give you?"
"Well -," the young man stammered and blushed.
"It's the proper term, Charlie, it's not something dirty. The answer is yes. Okay, I'm assuming that since this would be her first experience, that you would be using a condom for contraception as well as for STDs?"
"Well, yeah, I guess," Charlie spoke hesitantly.
"Then discuss the timing with her. Make sure it's either right before or right after her period."
"Danny!" both Charlie and Josh exclaimed.
"Look, man, you're talking about becoming as close as possible with another human being. This is a normal bodily function. Your actions could forever alter her life, your life, and a possible child's life. If you do continue to have a sexual relationship with Zoey, there will be times when the two of you will have to deal with things like her period, cramps, or having the runs, or the first time one of you farts in bed. If you aren't ready to accept the fact that the two of you are functioning human beings with all that that entails, then maybe you aren't ready for this step."
Danny told him to expect her to be nervous, skittish. He would be invading her body, be in a place where nothing, except maybe a tampon or a doctor's instrument had been before. He had to be prepared to stop on a dime, as it were. He had to be prepared for the possibility that he might cause her pain, but also be prepared for the possibility that there would be no difficulty – the same doctor's instrument or tampon, the horseback riding she had been doing since a child, the unlikely but always possible case that there had been a "weird uncle" in her past. In either event, he had to act as if it were the most natural thing in the world, because it is. He asked Charlie how intimate they had already been, did Charlie understand female genitalia and arousal? He suggested that Charlie get a "how to" book and volunteered to purchase it when Charlie worried about being seen while buying it. He answered questions Charlie had after reading it.
And when that night came, there had been a little fumbling, but, all in all, things had gone okay, due to the advice of the man who was now leaving the lectern, replaced by the cantor who would sing Psalm 128.
Okay, Charlie thought, Liz was finishing the second reading, the classic chapter 13 from St. Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth. Just the reading about the wedding feast at Cana, a short, he hoped, sermon, and then the ceremony. He looked over at Zoey. She smiled at him through her veil. He winked back at her.
Josh nudged him. What? It's showtime; time to stand and face the congregation. Jed donned his deacon's stole and came to the altar facing them.
"Charles William, will you take Zoey Patricia, here present, for your lawful wedded wife according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?"
"I will."
"Zoey Patricia, will you take Charles William, here present, for your lawful wedded husband according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?"
"I will."
"I, Charles William, take you, Zoey Patricia, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."
"I, Zoey Patricia, take you, Charles William, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."
Another nudge from Josh. Oh, take the ring.
"Zoey, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
"Charlie, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
"By the power invested in me by the Holy Catholic Church and the state of New Hampshire, I now declare you to be husband and wife."
Eleven years. Through hate mail, a shooting, Jean-Paul, a kidnapping, personal doubt. They made it. He lifted the veil from her face. She smiled up to him. He lowered his mouth to hers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, my daughter and my new son!
Just a prayer and a blessing, then "Spring" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" started and it was time to leave the church; they were now Zoey and Charlie Bartlet-Young.
A few hours later, everyone was waving as the helicopter carrying Charlie and Zoey left the field next to the reception hall. They would be flying down to Newport, where they would spend a couple of days in a guest cottage on the grounds of Rick's family's place on Cliff Walk. It was a present from Rick's mom, Arnie, Ginger, and Rick. Afterward, they would take a cruise to Bermuda before returning to the Boston area and beginning their life as a married couple.
CJ was sitting with Donna, Josh, Toby, Debbie, Ed, and his wife. They were reminiscing about Charlie and Zoey, trying to remember when they each had come to the conclusion that there really was "something" between the two of them. Josh claimed that he knew the night of the "Cassandra Caper" in Georgetown. Donna said that was only puppy love. It was when Zoey returned from New Hampshire for that early Christmas dinner the winter after the kidnapping that the relationship began to "mature".
"Ah, the prodigal returns!" CJ exclaimed as she spied Danny returning to the group. Andi was with him.
"Everyone's okay?" she asked as he grabbed her hands, pulled her from the seat, plopped down in it himself, and pulled her onto his lap.
"Paddy's out like a light," he kissed her hair lightly. "Noah woke up, took a bottle, and went right back to sleep," he assured Donna.
"Huck, Molly, and Ed's crew are watching videos. The babysitter is knitting a scarf that is long enough for Goliath," Andi added, sitting on the footrest that Toby obligingly had freed up.
"So when did each of you know that Charlie and Zoey were serious?" Donna asked Andi and Danny.
"A few weeks before Rosslyn," Danny said, and wouldn't explain any further. Andi said she wasn't sure, but it was sometime after the kidnapping.
Right then, Donna's phone rang.
"Hey, guys, it's Sam! Hi there, Daddy! So tell us everything!" Pause. "Oh, that's beautiful!"
She put a hand over the mouthpiece. "The baby's name is Gemma Nicole, after Morgan's grandmother for the first name, Nicole because it had a good rhythm."
And for the next half-hour, everyone had his or her chance to talk with Sam and congratulate him on the birth of his daughter.
"I imagine that Gemma's birth will really help Sam in his bid for reelection?" Ed's wife posed the question.
"Technically, he's running for election, not reelection," Danny answered. "I'm sure it will help, but the outcome is not in any doubt. He's done an amazing job; California is damned lucky to have him."
"Everyone at the DNC wants him campaigning for our candidates," Will added. "He's coming up to Oregon for me in October. I booked him early."
July 4, 2010 Manchester NH
CJ hung up the phone.
"I guess Kate's already up and out; there's no answer in her room." CJ and Kate were in charge of arranging the car pool assignments to the Bartlet farm after breakfast.
Danny poked his head out of the bathroom. He was naked and dripping, holding an equally naked and equally dripping Paddy.
"If you want to go down to breakfast and look for her, that's fine. We menfolk can manage ourselves; we'll meet you down there."
"You are sweet." She went over and kissed the both of them. Grabbing her pad, pen, wallet, and key card, she left the room.
On the way to the dining room, she saw Kate leaving a room several doors ahead of her.
"That's strange; I thought she was three doors up from us."
Then an arm reached out, grabbed for Kate, and pulled her back toward the door. A bare-chested Will Bailey poked out his head, kissed the woman, and then shut the door. Kate turned toward CJ.
"Good morning." CJ smiled at the other woman. "It looks as if you had a nice evening."
Kate looked up, blushed, and then smiled. "Yes, I did. Look, I've already showered" another blush "and I'll be changed and at breakfast ten minutes tops."
By the time everyone was through with breakfast and the car pools that CJ and Kate had arranged had taken off for the Bartlet farm, it was noon. President Santos had passed off some of his Independence Day duties in Washington to Vice-president Baker, but he and the First Lady spent the morning at some of the historical sites in Boston before flying back to the capitol for the evening celebrations. However, the West Wing alumni, the Bartlet relatives, and Charlie's family spent the afternoon playing softball, swimming, gossiping, and eating hot dogs, baked beans, and potato salad.
In the evening, there was lobster, clams, and steamed corn. Later, everyone sat around the big bonfire while waiting for the fireworks show that Abbey had arranged
Jed, Josh, and Danny were standing off to the side discussing the intricacies of running for reelection while running the executive branch of the government when suddenly, Jed looked up, yelled "No!" and ran, surprisingly well for a man who needed a cane the day before to walk down the aisle, toward the fire pit. He grabbed Paddy and Noah, who had been toddling into the flames, and pulled them away from the fire. He smacked first Noah, then Paddy on their little behinds. He repeated, "No-o-o!" There was a faint smell of singed hair in the air.
The two little boys looked puzzled at first, then they began to cry just as their fathers reached them and lifted them into their arms.
"I'm sorry for swatting them," Jed apologized. "It was an instinctive, grandfather reaction."
"No need to apologize," Danny answered, checking over his son to make sure that there were no sparks on his clothes or his hair.
"No need," Josh echoed. He looked at his son, propped up on his arm. His hand was bigger than the boy's rear end. Then he looked at the other men. "I just realized that someday I might have to do that for real. I mean, not for running into the street or playing with something dangerous, but that he might do something that demands that I -"
Danny nodded in understanding.
"If and when you do, it will seem like the worst day of your life," the former president told the two of them. "It's a decision you will have to make with your wives as to for what and when."
"Did you?" Danny asked.
"Yes."
"For what, how many times?" Josh wanted to know.
"I'm sorry, that is between Abbey, the individual daughter, and me. I'll just say that it was extremely rare and only on the rear end. You and your wives will need to talk about it, discuss your own experiences and memories, and reach your own decisions."
And with that, the older man walked away, leaving the other two to hold onto their sons while wrestling with their thoughts about the responsibilities of fatherhood.
July 7, 2010 Cape May, NJ
They arrived late Wednesday afternoon. Ginger met them as they drove up to the main house.
After the initial round of greetings and hellos, Ginger reached for a basket containing four envelopes.
"When that tropical storm came through over the weekend before swinging out into the Atlantic, some of the guest rooms were damaged. We have to put two couples in the boys' rooms, sharing a bathroom, a couple in Chantelle's room, she has her own bath, and put some of you up on the third floor with three communal baths not attached to any of the rooms. I decided that Bonnie, Donna, and Carol, being pregnant, and the Bartlet's, being old, would get decent guest rooms. Everyone else goes into the lottery. So pick one." She held the basket out to CJ.
"Danny, you pick, I'm not feeling very lucky."
Danny picked out an envelope and opened it. "Bryce's room," he read.
Ginger led them up the staircase, with Danny carrying two of the bags and Cal, the handyman, following with the rest of the luggage. She opened the door and said, "Here we go, it's your home for the next four days."
It was a typical pre-teen boy's room, with the walls covered by sports and rock posters and a school banner. Oh, and a set of bunk beds, the top one set at a right angle to the bottom one.
"Flip ya for the top bunk," CJ said.
"Oh, I definitely want you to have it," Danny said.
"If you want, we could try to take them apart, rearrange the furniture," Ginger offered. "You might have to climb over stuff, especially after we get the crib in here."
"Oh, no," Danny replied, "this will be fun." Both women saw the gleam in his eyes, but CJ was more curious about what was going on in his devious little mind.
"You could volunteer to trade with Nancy and Jesse," Ginger suggested. "They're in the big room on the third floor. It's twin beds, and they're chaperoning all the kids who aren't sleeping with their folks."
"That's just too rich for words. What was their reaction?"
"They were really good sports about it. I offered them Josh and Donna's room until they get here on Thursday night, but they said they didn't want the hassle. Ed and his wife offered to switch, they got one of the two left over "good rooms", but, again Jesse said that fair was fair."
"So, so far, for those of us in the room lottery, who got what and who's left?"
"Nancy and Jesse with the kids, you in Bryce's room, Ed and his wife in a nice room, Will and Kate in Chantelle's room, Andi, Toby, and Debbie on the third floor. Actually, there's one nice room left and then there's Sev's room on the other side of the bath and a room with twin beds on the third floor. So you'll be sharing the bath with either Larry and his wife, with Ellie and Vic, or with Margaret and John."
"Back up, there. Will and Kate? Together?"
"Well, they came in together and we all kind of hemmed and hawed and finally I asked them if they wanted to be together or not. They both kind of blushed and then said if we didn't mind, they'd like to share a room. So there you are. However, Chantelle has two twin beds, so... I had planned to put Kate and Debbie together in there and give Will one of the old servant's rooms on the third floor, but now Debbie's up there and Will is in there with Kate."
"What if Toby and Andi had wanted to be together?"
"Then one of you couples would be trying to share a twin," Ginger laughed. "I almost had Sev write a program to assign all this. I'm just lucky that Mom and Arnie volunteered to move into the guesthouse and let the Bartlet's use their room. Of course, they may have been thinking of their own sanity when they did that. Everything would have been fine if we hadn't lost the six rooms in the south wing. We had thought about moving everything to the Newport place, but we had already hired folks locally, and people had made their travel plans based on being here. Plus, this is more private, more off the beaten path, as it were. Anyway, welcome to Camp Ginger!"
They assured her that everything was fine. At least they were in a room together, not split up between a platform tent and a barn like folks were last year.
Cal came in with the portable crib Ginger had rented for Paddy and then Ginger showed them the jack-and-jill bath they would be sharing with whoever drew Sev's room.
"The doors lock on both sides. I also put two-way radios here and next door in case you forget to unlock the other door when you're done. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"Ginger, don't worry about it; we'll deal."
"Let's go downstairs. Bring the baby."
They walked downstairs and toward the back of the house. There was a huge kitchen and a summer porch leading to the outside. Ginger introduced them to Graciella, the cook.
"Just come down any time you want for breakfast," the older woman told them. "I'll be here or on the porch with my TV or my book."
They went out to the summer porch. Celia was in a playpen trying to put blocks in their proper place on a toy. Two young women were sitting on the porch, drinking cokes and reading romance novels.
"This is Megan and this is Stacey; they'll be helping with the littlest ones. There's also Alexis, she's at the dentist. Why don't you just put Paddy in the playpen and I'll show you the beach."
They went out the screen door, walked to the front of the house, and headed down toward the shore.
"That's the guest cottage." She pointed off to the left. "Mom and Arnie are sleeping there this weekend."
As they reached the sand, CJ and Danny could see Bonnie, Jean-Luc, Nancy, and Jesse in the waves, along with Ginger's stepchildren.
"Where's everyone else?"
"Probably at the pool on the other side of the house."
There were two young men sitting on the beach. They stood as Ginger, CJ, and Danny approached them.
"This is Travis and this is Nate." Then she introduced CJ and Danny to the young men.
"They help with the kids and are certified ocean surf lifeguards. There's also Courtney, today's her day off. Mom's main rule regarding the ocean is that she doesn't want kids in the water, except maybe wading right at the shoreline, unless at least one of the three is down here. With the adults, it's your own responsibility. Starting tomorrow, for the weekend, we're going to have two of them down here from 10 in the morning until six in the evening. Also, no kids under 12 without other adults around."
By this time, the swimmers had come to shore and everyone decided to move the party to the pool for a while. The storm had stirred up the waters and they were still cleaning driftwood and debris from the beach.
"Remember to use the sand showers first!" Ginger reminded everyone.
When they got to the pool, they found Ed and his family, Debbie, Andi, Toby, the twins, Rick's mom, and Arnie Vinick. CJ went off to talk with the baby-sitters on the summer porch, to let them know about Paddy's quirks and habits.
Danny asked when the others would be coming. Arnie let them know that Rick was involved in a committee meeting and would hopefully be choppering in later in the evening. The Bartlet's and the Faison's would be arriving Thursday morning. Liz decided to stay in New Hampshire; she was getting ready to move down to Washington to take over for Donna when she went on leave. Larry and his wife would arrive Thursday afternoon. The Lyman's, Carol and David, and Margaret and John Hoynes would arrive late Thursday night.
Dinner that evening was spareribs, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes, and watermelon on the patio. Rick arrived just as they were finishing the meal.
There was team Trivial Pursuit after dinner and a video for the kids. When the youngsters had gone to bed, there were more board games and more swimming in the moonlight.
About 10:00, Danny whispered something to CJ and they stood. "CJ and I would like to take a walk. Would someone mind checking up on Paddy while we're gone?"
"There's a carriage in Celia's room. Why don't you put him in there? We've got the baby monitor down here." The lifeguards and the baby-sitters had gone into town for the evening.
The grounds were massive, at least 20 acres.
"Danny, wouldn't it be nicer walking by the beach? The moon is out, the tide is out, we could maybe find a little place -"
"Because we're not 25 anymore. Let's see, past the third birch on the left and turn right, yep, there it is!"
She saw a small cabin, a little larger than a playhouse, sheltered under several trees.
"Danny?"
He opened the door and, reaching toward the windowsill to the right of the entrance, picked up a flashlight.
The little room held a queen-sized air mattress, a table with some battery operated candles, and a small chest of drawers.
"Rick took me aside earlier, said he felt bad about whoever had the makeshift accommodations. His father built this for his sister and him when they were kids. There's sheets and stuff in the dresser. I know that the beach might be romantic, but it's also sandy and unless we walked out of the house with a blanket, advertising our intentions -"
By this time, CJ had turned on the candles and was opening one of the dresser drawers.
"Good, there are mattress pads and complete sheet sets." She took out some things and threw them on the bed.
Then she turned around to face him and put her fingers to the buttons on her blouse.
Afterward, they lay there side by side, she on her stomach and he on his back.
"CJ?"
"Hhmm?"
"Honey, you really need to turn over. The way the window is framing the stars is so, you just gotta see."
She obliged and snuggled up against his side. "I guess we ought to think about getting back," she sighed.
"Thinking about it is about all I want to do about it," he answered, pulling her up and over his body.
July 8, 2010
After breakfast, Rick and Arnie took those who wanted to do so deep-sea fishing on Thursday morning.
CJ, Nancy, Andi, Kate, and Debbie decided they would rather hike along the shoreline later and so lingered over the breakfast table. They finally got going about noon.
When they returned, the fisherfolk had already come back, having caught several swordfish that would be part of dinner, along with shrimp and clams.
CJ went up to Danny, who obligingly pulled his legs into a crossed position so that she could share the chaise.
"How'd you do?"
"My fish proverbially got away. The New Hampshire contingent is here; Ed and his crew arrived."
"And?"
"It looks like we will be sharing our bath with Margaret and Hoynes when they get here."
Margaret again. CJ knew that sooner or later, she was going to have to deal with the issue, but right now, the sun was hot, and after the hike, the pool looked inviting, the margaritas were cold and salty, and Ginger's babysitters were looking after her son.
"Anyone seen Nancy and Jesse?" Larry asked.
"They said something about the third birch tree and took a walk," Molly volunteered.
CJ and Danny looked at each other and stifled their laughs.
Ginger's mother-in-law organized a game of Marco Polo and ordered anyone who didn't want to play out of the pool. CJ and Toby went off to play tennis with Vic and Ellie. Danny volunteered to help Rick and Arnie man the barbeque pits and spent his time with a beer in one hand as he slopped sauce on chicken pieces with the other.
Later that evening, they took another walk to the third birch, but when they got to the little cabin, there was a sock on the door and furtive noises coming from inside. Laughing silently, they ran further into the woods and came upon what appeared to be a large stack of soft pine branches. Ever the gentleman, Danny volunteered to be on the bottom. It was amazing what two "old folks" could manage if they really, really wanted something.
They never did find out who was in the cabin, but Toby and Andi looked particularly calm and relaxed when everyone gathered for charades at midnight.
July 9, 2010
Friday brought more beach time, including a wiener roast, flag football, and tug of war. In the afternoon, Travis gave boogie board surfing lessons to anyone over age twelve who was interested.
Some fighter jets flew over in formation and when the kids asked about them, everyone expected Kate to answer authoritatively. But Kate and Will were nowhere to be found. Ed's oldest son shrugged his shoulders. "He said something about a birch tree."
The cocktail hour featured group badminton and a round-robin croquet match. Some of the gang were also playing tennis and horseshoes.
After a dinner of steak and salad, the group had self-segregated itself by sex. With Bonnie, Carol, Donna, and Ginger all expecting and with Sam and Morgan's new addition (the emailed pictures showed Gemma as having Morgan's black hair and Sam's mouth and nose), the conversation pretty much centered on pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood.
"Would you just listen to us? Four years ago, we were running a country. Now we're dealing with runaway hormones, pregnancy hemorrhoids, diaper rash, ear infections!"
Bonnie chuckled.
Donna stared over at the guys. "Look at them. They're probably dealing with nothing more important than who will win the Super bowl this winter."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Ed posed a question to one of the hosts.
"So, Rick, I understand you held a hearing on female genital mutilation yesterday? Is there any question that this is not a good thing?"
"The hearing was on whether the threat of FGM is prima facie reason for granting asylum."
"You'd be surprised the number of people who feel that if it happens outside the US, we shouldn't care about it," David joined in. "I work with one on the Eastern European desk."
"What confounds me is the idea that a man would enjoy making love with a woman who receives no satisfaction from the act," Arnie Vinick stated. "It would be like making love with one of those inflatable dolls you read about; no different, really, than masturbation."
"To see her face, or to hear her say your name, to watch her just, melt, I guess is the best word I can find in English, it makes one feel so, so, je ne sais pas le mot ," Jean-Luc was at a loss for words, French as well as English.
"Yeah." Danny knew what he meant even if no one had the word for it.
"You get your deepest pleasure from giving her pleasure." Josh offered his attempt to verbalize what the men were feeling.
"Not that I would ever do it, but if those men are afraid that if their women enjoy it, they might go with another guy, why not use a good old-fashioned chastity belt?"
"You have any of those lying around, Will?" Vic asked. "Inquiring minds want to know."
"Look at them," David said. "They probably think we're talking about football."
At that point, Rick's mom announced a dance contest.
After one dance, Danny looked at CJ, CJ looked at Danny, and they went off to find the third birch tree. This time, it was vacant and they got to put something on the doorknob.
"Oh, damn, someone's here!" Ellie's voice carried in through the window.
Danny reached over to the dresser and pulled out a quilt. Wrapping himself in a sheet, he went to the door.
"If you go up to the left about 100 yards, there's a pine bower." He handed the quilt to Vic, closed the door and returned to the bed.
"Now, where was I before we were interrupted?"
July 10, 2010
By late Saturday morning, they were all down at the beach.
There was a volleyball game going on between Team Josh and Team Danny. CJ, Paddy, Donna, Noah, Ginger, and Celia were down in the "wet sand" area. The moms would dig for sand crabs and put them in a hole in the sand. The toddlers would clap as the little critters burrowed back into the sand. Every nine waves or so, the water would come up far enough to splash through the baby's legs and flood the hole.
"Ladies, would you mind moving back about two feet? The tide is coming in and you might get wave big enough to get up to the babies' tummies." Courtney smiled at the women.
The moms decided that the kids had played enough in the sand and carried them up to where the blankets and umbrellas were staked out. There was a wading pool filled with water and they managed to rinse off most of the sand on the kids.
All of a sudden, they heard Abbey scream, "They're caught in the current!" As they looked up, they saw Nate running to the water, stripping off his T-shirt as he went. Courtney was about 10 feet behind him, with the rescue buoy under her arm.
Out beyond the point where the waves were breaking, Margaret and Bonnie were foundering. Several of the men were also running into the surf.
As she reached the water, Courtney turned around to face them. "No one else gets in! We don't want to have to worry about anyone else!"
Jean-Luc and John continued into the ocean. Josh and David grabbed hold of Jean-Luc and Danny and Will restrained the former Vice-president.
"Let the professionals do their job, John," Will said.
"If it were CJ, I'd be wanting to be out there myself," Danny said, as Hoynes struggled against the arms restraining him, "but they know what they're doing."
"They are swimming away!" Jean-Luc exclaimed as he saw Nate with his arm around Bonnie swimming parallel to the shore. Courtney and Margaret were also heading up the coast.
"They need to get away from the rip current," Rick explained. "See, they're turning into shore now."
John, Jean-Luc, and several others started running up the beach to where the lifeguards would be reaching shore with their rescuees.
A few minutes later, everyone was back at the umbrella cluster. Hoynes was carrying Margaret in his arms. Her eyes were closed but she was breathing, although raggedly. Jean-Luc was holding Bonnie, who was coughing and crying. Courtney was trying to hop on her left leg, with Josh and Danny on either side of her. The two men looked at each other, then Danny scooped up the young woman, who protested that she didn't need carrying. Ed, Nate, and Will brought up the rear, with the young man supported by the older men.
Abbey quickly triaged the situation.
Bonnie was okay, just frightened, but she was pregnant and would need to be checked out a little more. Margaret had apparently fainted. Her breathing seemed to be normal but she needed to be checked out. Courtney's ankle would require attention. Nate appeared to be totally exhausted but otherwise okay. She could hear the sounds of an ambulance nearing the scene.
"Daisy, wake up! Come on, darling! Wake up, Daisy!" John Hoynes, tears running down his face, exhorted.
Margaret opened her eyes, then began to cough and retched water all over the man who was holding her.
The ambulance arrived, followed closely by a patrol car.
After consulting with Abbey, the EMTs decided that they would take Margaret to the emergency room with them. John Hoynes insisted on going with her. There was definitely water in her lungs. The patrol car would take Bonnie and Abbey, in case something happened on the way to the hospital. Rick and Ginger would take Courtney, Jean-Luc, and Nate. Nate kept insisting that he was okay but Rick's mother insisted that the young man be cleared by medical professionals. She also insisted that everyone else move up to the pool area.
"I wonder why he calls her Daisy?" CJ wondered aloud to no one in particular as they gathered up towels, shoes, books, etc.
"Marguerite means 'Daisy' in French," Carol said. "I think it's his special name for her.
They took everyone up to the pool area and spent the rest of the afternoon there. The crowd was a bit subdued as they waited for word on Margaret, Bonnie, Nate, and Courtney.
A little before 5:00, everyone returned from the hospital. Bonnie and Margaret were ensconced on chaise lounges; Jean-Luc and John Hoynes would have waited on them hand and foot, except that the older kids beat them to it. Nate and Courtney had been given painkillers to help with the bruising they had received from the waves (and the women they rescued) and were helped to their rooms.
Rick's mom had sent someone for a couple of bushels of blue crab and they were served on big picnic tables covered with newspaper, along with lots and lots of ice-cold beer. After dinner, there was more dancing, more conversation, and an old-fashioned game of hide-and-seek followed by one of kick-the-can. The evening ended with fireworks "in anticipation of Bastille Day".
With all the activity, CJ and Danny didn't have time to attempt another trip past the birch trees. After changing Paddy, CJ got into a nightgown, kissed her husband, and began her climb up the ladder to the top bunk. A hand on her ankle stopped her.
"Not just yet." The sentence was imperative, but the tone was not a demanding one.
As she descended the ladder, Danny began to plant kisses on her spine, going up as she came down. After a few minutes of nuzzling her neck and doing nice things with his hands, he seated her on the edge of the bed and then sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of her. He kissed his way from her left knee to his destination.
When he had taken her where he wanted to, she bent down to kiss his mouth. "Do we dare try it? What if we break the bed?"
He smiled, grabbed a couple of pillows, got up on his knees, and rotated her so that she was kneeling over the edge. He gave her one of the pillows for her knees and took one for himself. He guided himself into her and, with one hand on her core, another holding onto both her hands, and his lips on her back and neck, they found completion and contentment, ending with her muffling her outcries in the mattress.
"I've been wanting to do that ever since we arrived," he said. "I'm not saying we should replace the king in our room or anything, but, maybe we can go ahead and get a set for Paddy's room even though he's not ready to leave the nursery."
July 11, 2010
Sunday morning, CJ got up and headed toward the bathroom. She tried the handle; it turned.
And she opened the door to find John and Margaret just getting into the shower.
"Oops!"
"I thought you locked the door!"
"I thought you did!"
CJ backed out of the bathroom, laughing. It was a good thing she had excellent kidney control.
Later, she was rinsing one of Paddy's onesies under the bathtub faucet as Danny was cleaning up the vanity area. She went to unlock the door leading into the room John and Margaret were using. Just as she turned the locking knob, the door was pulled open and she found herself facing Margaret.
"Oh. Um."
"CJ, this is beyond ridiculous. Get in here. You, too, Danny."
At the tone of her voice, the two of them walked into the other room.
"Hey, look, they had a double!" Danny exclaimed. Apparently, Sev had chosen the type of bunk bed where the bottom was a double bed and had drawers underneath it. "No wonder Ginger was so apologetic when we opened our envelope. We got the worst deal."
"Actually, I think Jesse and Nancy had the worst deal," John countered.
"Enough!" Margaret was definitely in charge. "Sit!"
"CJ, you don't owe me any apologies or explanations. If you owe them to anyone, it would be to Suzanne and to yourself; maybe to Danny but that's between the two of you. We aren't in high school. We're old. We've lived complex lives. You were my colleague, my boss, and then my friend. I want my friend back. Could you please stop beating yourself up about it and bring her back to me?"
CJ smiled, stood up, and hugged the other woman. "I can see why Josh and the President swear by you."
"Well, someone has to bring a dose of reality into the west wing. Now show us what you and Danny have had to deal with these past few days."
The four of them went through the connecting bath into the other room.
"Oh, my!" Margaret exclaimed, taking in the two narrow bunks.
"Hopefully, you'll never complain about a double again, Maggie-mine," the former vice-president stepped behind her and put his arms around her waist.
"Who had the top?"
"CJ, of course," Danny answered Margaret.
"Why, of course?" Both women spoke in unison.
"It would have been the same if the room situation had been reversed," John whispered in Margaret's ear. "So I could watch you climb up that ladder."
"Ahk oog ga da da ." Paddy threw his rattle out of the crib; he was supposed to be the center of attention whenever he was in a room with big people and they weren't paying any attention to him.
Later that afternoon
Donna hugged CJ, at least as much as her triplet-filled stomach would let her.
"You're sure you can't stop in on your way back from Ireland?"
"Donna, between the convention, the election, getting ready to turn over everything to Liz, and having these little ones, you are going to be so impossibly busy. Plus, we'll be back here in September for Hogan's wedding at Annapolis. Listen, right before you're due, around Halloween, there's going to be a hu-u-u-ge rock concert at Camden Yard to kick off 'Power to the People', and they want some representation from 'Road to a Better World' and 'Nurturing the Skill'. I don't know if I'll be coming in for it, but if I do, I'll plan to spend some time with you. I'm assuming you'll be taking off prior to actually going into labor."
"I'm not sure. 'Power to the People'? What's that?"
"Bono, Sting, and Sir Paul have decided to head up the funding for the electrification project that was going to be Frank Hollis' next step after we finished the roads. They're going to bring in whatever other musicians who might be interested. They'll be totally independent of us, but working in close coordination. Naturally, they wanted my help and naturally, I told them I had enough on my plate but that I would be available for consultation and advice."
"Well, remember that after November, I'm a stay at home mom for a year or so. Come visit anytime. Have a safe trip over and back."
"Thanks. Enjoy the convention. It's a shame that you guys have St. Louis and the Republicans have San Francisco. If it were reversed, we'd come up to see you."
That Evening
Rick honked the horn of the SUV as he drove Ginger and the kids away from the house.
"Well, that's the last."
Arnie Vinick draped an arm around his wife's waist.
"That was fun," she said. "I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime. That's a good bunch of people."
"Except I hope that next time, we won't be short six guest rooms."
"Shall we go reclaim our own bed?"
"Not so fast," he answered her, drawing her into an ardent embrace. "I've been hearing all this scuttlebutt about the third birch tree on the left."