Old Friends
CJ/Danny, Josh/Donna
Rating Teen– just a mention of sex this time
Spoilers through end of series
Not mine, never were, never will be, but they consume my soul
Feedback and criticism always welcomed
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Mid-afternoon, January 5, 2012; Washington, DC; the White House
"Just have a seat in Josh's office, CJ. He and Margaret should be finishing up in the Mural Room shortly. I need to run these things down to Amy." Carol opened the door the office for the Chief of Staff and pointed to the couch along the side of the wall. "Rina, will you catch my phone?" Carol smiled at Margaret's executive assistant, picked up several folders, and started down the hall.
CJ walked around the room, taking in the changes that Josh had made to it, changes to suit his personality, his masculinity.
She took particular interest in the collection of pictures on the bookcase shelves. In addition to Josh's and Donna's official wedding portrait, (Donna sitting on a low stool with her dress puffed around her in a full circle, Josh sitting behind her on a chair), there was a photo of the two of them with the four children, photos of their families, a big group photo of the "Bartlet Bunch" from the clambake in New Hampshire at the time of the dedication of the Josiah E. Bartlet Presidential Library, and another one from the weekend at Cape May right after Charlie and Zoey's wedding.
CJ thought back to her tenure in this room. She remembered the crises she handled; she remembered how alone she felt when Toby told her that he was the one who had given the information to Greg Brock. She remembered the despair she felt when she heard of Leo's heart attack and death; she remembered the utter joy when she and Danny admitted to each other that what had happened that night after Leo died was not a one night stand.
CJ thought back to the time when this room was Leo's (and, to some extent, in her mind, it would always be Leo's office.) Again, the memories were good and bad. Like Jed Bartlet, Leo had been a father figure, and their professional relationship had reflected that inter-generational connection. She remembered the arguments that felt like scoldings; she remembered the times she needed to assert herself. But she also remembered the praise and she remembered that she was the one to whom Leo turned when he needed to recommend a successor to the President he had brought into office.
Once more, CJ reflected that she had been so grateful, all in all, for that time in her life, but that she was now equally, if not more, grateful, for her current life – for "Road to a Better World", for Paddy, for her little village in Santa Monica, and, above all, for Danny.
"Josh, do you have-?" The door from the Oval Office swung wide and Matt Santos strode into the room.
"Good afternoon, Mr. President."
"CJ. Josh mentioned you would be in town. A wedding?"
"Actually, we're on our way home. The wedding was on the 30th in Ireland. Danny's older niece, Fiona. We flew into Shannon the day after Christmas and flew into Dulles yesterday evening."
"Is that the girl that caused all the ruckus in Oregon two years ago? The same weekend they announced the Nobel? Right before the explosion at Camden Yards?"
"Yes, sir." CJ was embarrassed that the incident still registered in the President's mind. "Again, we are so sorry for the inconvenience to Josh and to the White House."
"In the grand scheme of things, it was nothing. So, she got married?"
"Yes, and he seems to be very good for her. To see her now, you would never associate her with the girl that blithely hopped on a private jet in London, headed for Canada, and then tried to come into the States with neither passport nor money, not even a driver's license."
She remembered she had something more important, something more recent for which she needed to express her gratitude.
"Sir, I cannot thank you enough for what you did when Danny and the neighbors were lost at sea back in November. I know how often you must be disturbed in the middle of the night for serious crises, and to think that you took such a personal interest in something that, while very serious for us and our friends, was not that important in the wider scheme of things. Contacting you was not what I expected John to do."
"CJ, I was glad to be able to do it. John was right to call on me. For one thing, Helen was frightened to death for you. She said it hit her how easily it could have been me and she insisted that we take action. I think having Rachel has made her more anxious as a mother."
"Speaking of which, your younger daughter is an absolute heart-breaker! Carol took me up to the day-care center to see the children. I'm sorry I missed Mrs. Santos. Liz said that she was delayed in Harrisburg where she was helping to dedicate the on-site day care in the state capitol. You know, the 'Village People' initiatives were a great project for her, but now that she has taken the forefront in making government offices at least as 'family friendly' as the private industries that win the awards from the women's groups, I think she will be remembered as one of the most effective First Ladies in history."
"Well, part of pushing for the day care in the White House was just good business sense," the President answered. "We need the best qualified people in the nation to do the nation's business, so we need to make it as easy as possible for those people to want to work for us.
"What I'm also proud of is that she isn't stopping with the 'parent-child' issue. By April, we'll also have on-site elder care for those employees who are looking after parents, aunts, uncles, as well as resources for those who would need in-home assistance. We've had two requests for help with developmentally disabled adult children and siblings and she's looking into some sort of guided employment for them. Plus she's initiated an on-site laundry and dry-cleaning drop off center, 'sitters' to go wait for repairmen and deliverymen, and a healthy carry-out meal station in the Mess. I sometimes think she's doing more than I am."
"Well, I know that Carol is very happy to have Clarissa close at hand and that it makes doing her job so much easier."
"And next week, when Josh and Donna's four join them, I expect that Josh will be happy too."
"I understand that you were very instrumental in Donna deciding to work for Nancy McNally in Foggy Bottom rather than take the position with the Democratic Governors' Council. She said you had to do some reorganization for that to happen?"
"Well, I had to move State from Josh to Margaret, to avoid any situation where someone could say that Donna was supervised by her husband. But it's important to me that Donna get involved with foreign affairs. She needs that experience and she will be a tremendous asset to Nancy.
"Speaking of tremendous assets, I could always need another Senior Counselor and the offer from six years ago is still there. You could do it from California, or, there's always room in the nursery for Paddy. I understand Danny is in grad school at USC; I could pull some strings to get him into school here."
"Mr. President, the answer is still the same." She wasn't about to tell him that she was perfectly aware of what was going on the six or seven times when Josh had called and casually asked her opinion on certain issues.
"CJ, I'm sorry I – sir?" Josh came barreling into his office. "I'm sorry, Mr. President. You need something?"
"I was wondering about next Saturday, when the Swedish Prime Minister is in town, maybe we could take in a hockey game? What do you think?"
"If the Service has no problem, it sounds like a great idea. Excuse me, CJ."
"No, Josh," Matt Santos interrupted. "You visit with CJ. This can wait." The president left the room, closing the door behind him.
Josh hugged CJ. "So where's Danny? Margaret got pulled into some dispute over White House access after the State of the Union; she'll be here as soon as she can."
"Danny's at the Post, of course, showing off Paddy. Then he's going directly to your place. I've got an appointment for a facial in an hour, so I'll be meeting you guys there. It will be nice to be with the two of you and the kids before Rick and Ginger's big thing tomorrow afternoon. Not that I'm not looking forward to seeing everyone and all their kids," CJ hastened to add. "I just wish the Bartlet clan could be here.
"Anyway," she changed the subject, "so come Monday, Donna goes back to work, and you'll be bringing the kids here. It's sure a far cry from our 'no family, no real social life' days, isn't it?"
"Yeah, in more ways than one. You got time to sit?" He indicated the sofa.
The two of them sat down.
"Josh?" CJ could tell that there was something on the man's mind, something he was having trouble vocalizing.
"Donna's not going 'back to work', CJ, she's starting a new career. You know, back in President Bartlet's time, we all knew what our roles were, to be supporters, to be the guys behind the guy, with Leo being first among equals, and people like Ed, Larry, Margaret, Bonnie, Ginger, and Donna were the guys behind the guys behind the guy. Well, except that we felt that Sam had that certain something, that passion to serve more openly.
"But now, Margaret and I are the ones that are first among equals, and Donna has -"
"Moved up to guy behind the guy, maybe even beyond?" CJ finished the thought she assumed Josh was pursuing.
"For sure. And to some extent, she has you to thank for that. When you told her that she needed to break away from me, at the time of the lockdown, then when she went to work for Bingo Bob," Josh added when CJ flashed a puzzled look at him.
"Josh, I never meant to cause any stress for the two of you," CJ rushed to explain, her guilt still present after so many years.
"We needed it, CJ, we needed the separation. I don't think we would ever have realized that we were made for each other, emotionally and intimately, if that hadn't happened, so there's no need to apologize.
"Now, it's more than Donna coming into her own at the senior support level. CJ, people are taking notice. Powerful people, the President, other party heavyweights, there's an undercurrent that Donna will someday move to the front lines, to -".
"Run for office someday? I know she's talked about the school board and other local issues down in your beach place. I can see her stepping up, especially if you hold to your thoughts about sitting out the '14 election. Danny tells me that if I want to get involved in Santa Monica politics, he wouldn't mind. Every once in a while I think about it, then I look at Danny, at Paddy, think about this baby we're trying to not be desperate to make, and I tell myself that Billy Rogers can have the job as long as he wants it."
Josh looked at his friend and spoke quietly. "When they talk about Donna, they aren't talking running for city council or school board; they're thinking state legislature, maybe Congress."
"Wow!" CJ sat back against the couch. "What does she think about it?"
"We haven't exactly talked about it."
"Joshua! What did Danny tell you back when I was carrying the twins?" He saw her eyes dim for a second with the memory, then regain their brightness. "You have to talk about it, discuss the ins and outs, the whys and wherefores!"
"I'm waiting for her to bring it up. CJ, do you think I can do it? I want to be able to do it."
"Do what, Josh?"
"Be Danny."
"What do you mean, be Danny?"
"Can I let my wife soar the heights, to achieve; can I be 'Mr. Donnatella Moss Lyman', as it were?"
"Are you saying that I run roughshod over Danny?" CJ asked, somewhat defensively.
"No, no, no! Just the opposite, that -"
"That Danny runs roughshod over me?" CJ's voice grew even louder.
"CJ, please let me finish an effing sentence!"
There was a knock on the door and Carol entered.
"Josh, the Canadian PM needs to talk with you. Something about a murder incident on the Yukon/Alaska border."
Josh sighed and CJ did the same, letting their tempers cool a bit.
"Better you than me, my friend," she smiled as she walked out of Josh's office. "See you tonight."
About 15 minutes later
Donna balanced her daughter on her hip as she opened the front door.
"Danny! Come in! Hi, Paddy!"
She reached up and kissed first the man, then the sleepy child in his arms. She stepped back to let them into the foyer then shut the door to the cold air coming up the open stairwell. After settling Paddy on the sofa in the nursery and putting her daughter in her crib, she poured two cups of coffee and led Danny into the den, where a fire warmed the room.
"So, how was the wedding? Do you have any pictures?"
"Sure." Danny pulled out a memory disk from his inside jacket pocket. "Can we look at this?"
She left the room and came back with her laptop and a San-Disk reader; Danny started the slide show.
"CJ looks beautiful, as always. You really do like that gray dress, don't you?"
Danny's smile was answer enough.
"Ohmagod, look at you and Paddy! In kilts!" Donna took in the sight of Danny and his son in formal tuxedo jackets, kilts, knee socks, and funny little bags hanging from their waists.
"Is that your family's plaid?"
Danny explained that only a few Irish families had an individual plaid; historically, the Irish wore green or saffron kilts. There were also plaids for Ulster and Tara, but for the most part, the patterns for the various counties had been designed in the late 1960's. The red kilts, with broad green stripes, narrow blue stripes, and faint yellow stripe that Danny and Paddy were wearing reflected the plaid designed for country Galway, where the Concannons had lived for more than a thousand years before Danny's parents emigrated to Michigan. He further explained that the pouch was called a sporran and that they could have also worn a little dagger called a sgian dubh in their socks as well as a larger dagger on their belts. However, most of this was Scottish tradition, not Irish. But Fiona's new husband had bought into all of it and Fiona thought it was dashing, so it was a kilted wedding, at least on the part of the men.
" Erin rented them for the two of us. Theoretically, since I was adopted into Clan MacDonald when I was nineteen, we could have worn the same pattern as Robin."
"What about underneath?" Donna asked.
"I wore navy bike shorts; Paddy wore a blue bathing suit over his Pull-ups. No way were we going commando.
"Now there's Robin, in the tartan for the MacDonald's of Sleat. That's the one I could have worn if I hadn't worn the one for Galway."
"There are different MacDonald's?"
"There are several branches, or septs. It's really kind of complicated, but fascinating."
"That's Brendan, my new nephew, I guess, with his ushers and groomsmen. He's from Kerry, as are his brothers. The others are from Clare, Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary. They're all into the county plaid thing." He pointed out the different plaids on the men.
"That one's nice."
"That's the Tara tartan, also called the Murphy family tartan; it's one of the old ones."
The next picture was of Fiona.
"Oh, Danny, she's so beautiful! That mantilla!"
"The kilts may not be kosher, historically, but Irish lace is truly Irish."
Fiona was wearing a simple strapless sheath, lace over satin, with a floor-length mantilla of the same lace. She carried a cascade of calla lilies with ivy.
"Looking at her, it hard to believe that she was so much trouble for you," Donna laughed.
"CJ says that since she fell in love with Brendan, Fiona looks five years younger and acts ten years older. And look at what a beauty Ash has become." Danny clicked the next picture.
Donna gazed at the tall redhead, gowned in deep blue sapphire, carrying red poinsettias. "She always was gorgeous, Danny. Now she's just grown up; her face is a bit thinner, her cheekbones more pronounced. I guess she's a bit bustier, too."
They looked through the rest of the pictures. Danny explained that with the Christmas holiday, most everyone was free from work or school, so a lot of festivities took place on the days between Christmas and the wedding on the day before New Year's Eve. The wedding was at eleven and the party lasted the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening. It seemed that half of Ireland was there, as well as a large contingent of MacDonalds from Scotland, including the MacDonald himself, the new one, not the one that adopted Danny into the clan over thirty years ago. He passed back in '98.
"And who is this with Ash? He's so good looking, I almost wish I were twenty again."
"That's Brian Stewart, the son of one of Robin's something removed cousins. Brianna" Danny's voice broke just a little "was a very special person. We lost her two years ago, this past September."
"Well, there's a certain look about him."
"Well, if for some reason, Scotland obtained its independence from Great Britain and wanted to be a monarchy, according to the genealogy experts, he's the one who would be on the throne."
"And these shots, are they after the wedding?"
Danny explained that for the end of year holiday itself, after the bride and groom took their plane to their honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands, the Concannons and the MacDonalds took a quick trip over to Scotland and Angus' estate for the traditional Hogmanay celebrations.
Donna commented on the various photos as they came across the computer screen.
"This one of you, CJ and Paddy should be your Christmas card next year."
"That shot of your sister in green needs to be on an Irish Tourist Board poster."
Eventually, the last picture was clicked off and Danny removed the memory card from the PC.
Donna took the PC away and came back with more coffee and some cinnamon rolls.
"So, come Monday, you'll be back in the working world; working outside the home," Danny quickly added, taken aback at the glare Donna gave him. Lord knows he knew how hard it was dealing with just Paddy; he could only imagine having four toddlers at once. "Are you like CJ, ambivalent about the idea, or champing at the bit the way Margaret is?"
"We-el-ll, not champing at the bit, but I am looking forward to this next step in my life. There is nothing in my past that could have led me to believe how much I reveled in this year with the kids, but Nancy McNally and the President have a great deal of confidence in me and I'm ready to prove them right. There are some people who think my working in State is a terrible idea."
"Not Josh?" Danny asked.
"No, he just said 'Whatever you want, Donnatella' and smiled his 'Josh' smile."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, we haven't talked that much about it. I know, I know," she raised her hand as Danny started to open his mouth, "you and CJ swear by talking about everything, and we do try but we really haven't had the time - " She blushed and looked down as Danny gave her his best "quit bull-shitting me" look.
"Well, let me ask what Josh should have asked; why State?"
"Because I need it on my résumé if I'm going to -"
She stopped, realizing what she was about to say. Then as if compelled by some greater force, she looked directly at Danny and knew that he knew.
Danny was used to having vague premonitions about things. For example, he remembered when Sam came to the house in Santa Monica on Valentine's Day almost three years earlier, wondering if he should accept then Governor Tillman's request to become Lieutenant Governor. "Something" told Danny to tell Sam "say yes". There had been other times, like buying condoms the day after Leo McGarry passed or telling CJ to not take the freeway home from her offices near the UCLA campus (a semi-trailer overturned, dumping 300 boxes of roofing nails over the road), equally as vague.
Never before today had he experienced an actual prescient vision. But now, in the warmth of the Lyman den, he saw an older but still stunning Donnatella Moss Lyman standing on the steps of the Capitol, with her left hand on a battered copy of the Torah (and he didn't know how he knew what the book was not a Bible, he just did) in the hands of her husband, with her right hand raised to heaven. He heard the words "faithfully execute the office of President of the United States" come from her mouth.
Wow, he said to himself and looked at Donna. She looked back at him with a piercing stare and he knew that she knew what he knew.
"How long have you known?" Danny asked her.
"Since the weekend you and CJ got married," came the answer. "How do you see it?"
Danny told Donna that she saw her surrounded by Josh, her children, their spouses, and a couple of grandkids. He told her that he saw former President Santos pushing the wheelchair of former President Bartlet; both Danny and Donna somehow knew that the two men would have lost their wives by that time.
Donna told Danny that she saw Toby holding onto Andy as if she were his one connection to reality and knew that Toby would be keeping something from the Bartlet gang on that occasion. She told him that she saw former President Seaborn patiently explaining to a fragile Morgan that no, he was no longer leader of the country, had not been for eight years. She told Danny that she saw him with CJ, both of them gray but still vital, more in love than ever.
Danny did not tell her that his vision was different, varying. Sometimes CJ and he were there together; sometimes she was there with someone else, a face he couldn't quite discern, and that he was sort of off to the side with Abbey Bartlet, Helen Santos, and another woman he did not recognize.
"So," he asked, "do you know how you will get there?"
"No; only that I'll be President."
"Have you told Josh?"
"No; and you can't tell CJ!"
"Okay," he agreed. "What else do you know?"
"Know?"
"About the future."
"Nothing," Donna answered, "just that I will be the first woman and first person of Italian descent to be elected President of the United States. Do you see a lot about the future?" Donna stared at Danny.
"No," he laughed. "I basically have 'hunches'. This is the first time I've 'seen the future', so to speak. Now, my brother-in-law's great aunt Sorcha, everyone says she has the Second Sight."
"That's what Nona Elisabetta called it," Donna added. "She didn't have it, but claimed her aunt did.
"Anyway, back two conversations ago, part of why I haven't talked with Josh is because I know that he will be with me, beside me, behind me. I just hope I can learn to be like CJ."
"Like CJ?"
"You know, being famous and 'out there' on my own, yet be the deferential and respectful wife to my husband."
"You really think CJ is a traditional 'little woman', Donna?" Danny laughed easily.
"No, don't be silly. But she does seem to accept your, what's the word, 'primacy'? a lot easier than I would with Josh. Remember that time in the hot tub? No way in hell I would have let Josh speak to me like that in private, let alone in front of others."
"So now I'm the archetypical male chauvinist pig? Maybe I throw my weight around the personal relationship because CJ is out there on the world stage, because I need to inflate my ego, my sense of worth?"
"Oh, come on, Danny. I can't think of anyone who is more secure in himself than you are. I just mean that what you and CJ have is rare. The two of you should be so thankful you have whatever it is that makes it work for you."
"Well, it's not that rare. Look at the Bartlets. But we are grateful about what makes it work, and a good deal of that is being open and honest so -".
They were interrupted by the door chimes.
"Hi Donna!" CJ kissed her friend.
"Hey, fishboy!" CJ kissed her husband.
Later that evening.
Josh left the West Wing early and was home by 7:15.
The four friends ate a casual supper – beef stew and French bread – catching up on the happenings of their lives and those of their friends. Paddy ate with the Lyman kids and then easily settled back down on the couch in the Lyman nursery.
Danny echoed CJ's earlier words of sympathy to Josh on the loss of his mother.
"Will you be seeing Paul on this trip?" Donna asked CJ.
"He's with the twins in Trinidad – a present from his wife's father. We seem to keep missing each other. Speaking of missing, I didn't get a chance to see Margaret this afternoon. Will they be at Rick and Ginger's tomorrow? And why isn't she using the day-care at the White House?"
"Because John has decided he wants to be Mr. Mom for a while," Josh answered.
"Really? John Hoynes, dealing with diapers and formula?" Danny was amused. "I mean, don't get me wrong, taking care of Paddy is the most amazing thing I've ever done, well, except for my wife," he ducked as CJ threw a small pillow at him, "but if, ten years ago, if you had asked the Press Corps to make a list of who in the Administration would be playing twenty-first century nurturing Dad – Sam, for sure, Ed and Larry, natch, Charlie, then you and Toby, but I would have put Lionel Tribbey and Oliver Platt ahead of John Hoynes on the list."
"How much of this" Josh spread his hands wide "did we even remotely think about back then? You and CJ, me and Donna, everyone else?"
"Well, I was hoping," Danny answered, then began to laugh. The others joined in.
"CJ, why don't you come help me pick out the best suit to wear on Monday?"
After CJ and Donna left the room, Josh poured himself a brandy (Danny having refused given the champagne and Guinness he had consumed at Fiona's wedding) and handed Danny another caffeine-free Diet Coke.
"So the changes keep coming, don't they, Josh?"
"Huh?"
"Last year, you were adjusting to going from one kid to four and from two salaries to one. Now you're going from one salary to two, but not having Donna waiting here for you when you get home. Plus losing your mom."
"Well, to quote the Airplane: 'Life is change, how it differs from the rocks'. We adjust, my friend."
"Actually, Kantner lifted that line from a work of sci-fi called 'The Chrysalids' by John Wyndham. You should read it sometime."
The two men sipped their drinks in companionable silence.
"Danny, I tried to have this conversation with CJ earlier today and it came out all wrong, then I got interrupted before we could straighten it out.
"How do you do it? You do it right, or at least as right as any man can do it. You manage CJ. You do, Danny," Josh said as Danny shook his head, "but you've never held her back. Your pride in her is engraved on your forehead. And yet no one would ever think that you are anything less than the man of the house, that if necessary, you would fight monsters and dragons for her and Paddy, but that you're in charge. That's what I want to know. If Donna moves into that circle, will I be able to find that balance between liberated husband and protective mate? And, more important, will she let manage her the way CJ lets you manage her?"
"Her accepting you the way CJ accepts me? I'm not sure. Your relationship started out different than ours did. You finding the balance, I think you can, Josh. It's a matter of caring, loving, and talking. But it's also knowing that she needs the security of the boundaries our relationship. In a sense, I'm the rock that holds the string that keeps her within our atmosphere. The secret is, I'm very generous with that string."
"I know. It's just that for the longest time, Donna's been my rock. Switching the roles will be hard."
"Look, what works for me and CJ may not be the model for the two of you. Look at the Bartlets. They are each other's rock. Maybe that's what you and Donna should be."
"Yeah, maybe -"
Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, CJ weighed her answer to Donna's question.
"Primacy? Danny? I don't know, Donna, if I can put it in words. In one sense, it started the first time we made love. It transcended any sense of equality, or difference, or hierarchy. All I knew is that he was male, I was female, and that we were created for each other.
"A first, it was just in bed, but it gradually permeated the entire relationship. It's not about primacy, but it is primal. It just feels right that if there is any doubt, or indecision, I follow his lead. And if Amy Gardner wants to try to take away my "I am woman, hear me roar" badge, Danny will back my fight with her from here to the edge of the earth.
"But it's not just Danny. It was like this with Paul. And it's like that with the guys that have it together – Toby always had it with Andy, still does even now. What I see at home with Frank and Diana, with Ken and Laura. And for an example of a case where the guy didn't have it, look at Liz and Doug."
"But, CJ, you always were out there, doing big things. I started out as Josh's go-fer, then moved off into a different sphere. I feel as if I have to make sure he knows I'm his equal. Now I'm going to be, if not his equal, at least in the same strata, maybe even a higher one. "
"Donna, my love, I have great faith in the two of you. In the end, you are his woman, he is your man.
"Now, as your friend, believe me when I say that if you wear this grey suit, you need to wear some color next to your face. How about this pink scarf at your neck, draped like it was the shawl collar of a blouse?"