USS Fitzwallace
CJ/Danny, Ginger/OMC, some Josh/Donna, ensemble
Rating Adult - grown up sex; consensual kinkiness
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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Thursday, June 28, 2012, late afternoon; Fall River, MA;
Danny scanned the freeway in front of him, looking for the signs that would direct him from Mass 24 South onto I-195 westbound. He would have to watch carefully, as he would be on the interstate for only a few feet before the exit for the continuation Mass 24 and the bridge to Rhode Island – the actual island, not the mainland part of the state.
Okay, there's the exit; he eased onto the ramp. According to Rick's directions, he should keep to the right, as he would be taking another exit ramp off to the right.
He saw the signs and soon he was heading south by southwest; he saw the sign welcoming him to Rhode Island and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Although Danny preferred to do the driving in tricky situations, he had come, over the past five years, to depend on CJ's excellent navigational skills. However, his wife was lightly snoring in the seat beside him. CJ was at the four and a half month mark and she tired easily.
Danny looked to the right and smiled at the sight of his slumbering wife. She glowed, both from her southern California tan and from the pregnancy, not to mention the coral sundress she was wearing.
The rain, which had been little more than a mist since leaving Boston and Logan airport, turned a bit heavier, and he shifted the wipers from intermittent to slow.
The other West coast Bartlet bunch members were flying into the Providence airport, but he and CJ had decided that they would rather drive the extra forty-five minutes or so in order to avoid changing planes with a three year-old in tow. It would be interesting to compare notes with Bonnie and Jean-Luc to see how Giselle did switching planes. They had flown non-stop from LA to Indianapolis, spending some time with Bonnie's family (and would be visiting in Canada after this reunion), but they had to change planes in Cincinnati for the flight to Rhode Island. Of course, Sam, Morgan, and Gemma flew in on his state plane. The Faisons were spending the summer in New Hampshire and had driven across country.
Frank and Diana had offered to keep Paddy for them, but they explained that having the children around was always an enjoyable part of the reunions. Also, after the reunion in Newport, CJ, Bonnie, and Nancy would be traveling to McGill in Montreal for a four day symposium for "Road to a Better World". Danny and Paddy would spend the time with the Bartlets on their farm and Paddy was excited about being around the cows, chickens, and pigs.
As if on cue, Paddy stirred in the back seat, then drifted back into sleep. When picking up the car, they decided to put the boy's car seat behind Danny, making it easier for CJ to check on him. They hadn't taken into account her penchant for nodding off at a moment's notice.
The rain let up again just as CJ woke up from her nap.
"How long did I sleep? Where are we?"
Danny told her they were about five miles from Rick's family estate north and east of Newport proper.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help with the driving."
"It wasn't too bad. I managed to make it through Fall River. But I could use a nap myself after we get there."
"At least that's what we'll tell Ginger." CJ trailed her fingers up Danny's right thigh and over toward his groin.
Danny smiled. Second trimester libido was a wonderful thing in a pregnant woman. Thank God, he was able to keep up with her.
Ten minutes later, they were pulling up to the huge mansion. It was not as over the top as the "cottages" on Bellevue Avenue owned by the various Whitney and Vanderbilt families, but it was definitely an imposing edifice.
The gatekeeper who had let them onto the property had apparently called ahead to let Rick and Ginger know that another houseguest had arrived; the two of them were standing on the front porch, along with their eldest son and one of Larry's boys. Rick motioned to Danny to pull around the side of the house to the covered portico.
There was an elevator, so getting everything up to the third floor was no problem. Rick explained that his mother had converted part of the second floor into more modern living quarters – a kitchen, a small dining room, a couple of sitting rooms, that sort of thing – so they could keep the formal first floor rooms in period. It made for a more interesting tour when the house was open to visitors and also meant that the family could be in residence during the touring season. Of course, with the Bartlets and the Seaborns being here for the next five days, not to mention the President and Mrs. Santos on Saturday night, no tours were being conducted this weekend.
"Doesn't that cut rather deeply into revenues, given the holiday?" Danny asked.
"Not that much," Rick answered. "We still cover the taxes and the costs of the tours, which is all my grandfather wanted when he decided to do whatever he needed to do to keep the property in the family."
"Since you're giving us this gorgeous room," CJ looked around, "I take it we didn't win, or is it lose, the kids lottery?"
"That would be Josh and Donna for the toddlers, Toby for the older boys. It was sweet of your niece to volunteer to be in with the older girls," Ginger answered.
Rather than enroll immediately at St. Andrew's, Aisling had decided to do a "gap year" and would be spending the fall and spring semesters at Allegheny College in northwestern Pennsylvania. She had come over to be in the bridal party of the exchange student from Concord who stayed with the MacDonalds four years ago; she had come down with the Bartlets. After this weekend, Aisling would go down to Delaware to visit with Mike, the young lifeguard/Notre Dame swimmer with whom she still kept in contact, then spend some time with CJ and Danny in Santa Monica. She would take a few days to visit with Siobhan and Liam on Mackinac before heading off to Meadville.
("If we don't trust her now, we'll never trust her," Robin told Danny when he questioned the wisdom of allowing Aisling to visit Mike at Rehoboth. "Plus, he's already asked her up to South Bend in early October for a football weekend." Danny made a note of the weekend and decided that he would try to convince CJ that the two of them should plan to travel to Indiana for that game. And when Danny wondered why Aisling couldn't do her gap year at Loyola Marymount and live with the Concannons, Erin just laughed. "Danny, if that baby you and CJ are awaiting is a little girl, you're going to have her in a convent, aren't you?")
"I know you must be tired after flying all day, so I'll just take Paddy down stairs to be with the other kids. The au pairs are named Taylor, Amber, and Danica. Dinner is in two hours."
After telling Paddy to listen to the grownups, Danny relinquished his son to their hostess and closed the bedroom door. He heard the sound of a shower coming from the bathroom and walked toward it, dropping clothes along the way.
"Look, Danny, there's a bench in here. Do you think we could - ", she left the sentence unfinished.
He stepped into the enclosure, came up behind her, and kissed her neck.
"We'll never know unless we try."
A few hours later
"And so, southern New England can expect one more day of this dreariness, but then we have nothing but sunshine through the Independence Day holiday for our Yankee friends."
Some groans came from the assembled crowd as the bubbly blonde Weather Channel meteorologist finished her spiel and handed off to the man who would talk about the Middle Atlantic States.
"Hey, the important thing is that we'll have marvelous weather for the christening on Saturday in New London, the big to-do on Saturday night, and the clambake on Sunday." Carol always wanted to look on the bright side of things.
With the formal rooms at their disposal, Rick and Ginger decided to hold a fancy dinner and dance on Saturday after the ceremonies in New London. The men were told to bring tuxedoes, the women ball gowns. For few hours, they would relive the golden era of Newport.
"But what about tomorrow?" Josh asked, trying to hide the whine in his voice.
Ginger started counting on her fingers. "We have the heated indoor pool, the spa, although we women will be taking over that for massages, facials, and other girlie stuff, the movie theatre, you can watch God knows how many sports channels on three different big screens."
"The library, the bowling lanes, the squash court, we can set up a tennis court in the stables, and, of course, the billiards room," Rick finished.
"Is there a TV in the billiards room?" Larry asked.
"There can be."
"Will Mrs. Fitzwallace be here Saturday?" Larry's wife asked. "I always liked her."
Ginger told the group that she had extended the invitation to Mrs. Fitzwallace six weeks ago, but that the woman had graciously tendered her regrets. She would be leaving New London right after the christening activities. Fitz' widow had met a lawyer in Norfolk and was keeping company with him; they would announce their intention to wed in a few weeks. She would never forget her first husband, but she knew that her Percy would not want her to languish in solitude.
"Well, I guess I'm happy for her," CJ said.
Danny looked over at his wife. He could see the wheels turning in her head, see the twinge of frustration. Danny was sure that CJ hadn't given up on her hopes to find a new female companion for Paul. The news about Mrs. Fitzwallace meant that not only had the woman been open to the possibility of another man in her life but also that one possible option for the widowed minister was now no longer available.
"CJ," Danny said quietly.
"Danny, I wasn't!"
"H'kay."
CJ looked at Danny, her half smile conveying her renewed promise not to meddle.
Danny knew that she meant it; he also knew that in a few months, she would probably be at it again.
Donna was the only one who caught the exchange. She smiled to herself. No one else, maybe not even CJ herself, realized how skillfully and unobtrusively Danny Concannon managed the former White House Chief of Staff. Almost as surreptiously as she herself managed Josh, Donna thought.
Friday June 29, 2012; about 9:30 AM EDT
CJ woke to the smell of rain in the air. She snuggled back against Danny's body. Rainy days could be nice, especially when someone else was dealing with your three-year old son, when you had passed the stage of pregnancy where morning sickness was an issue for you, and when you had a husband who was ready, willing, and eager to deal with your heightened libido.
They had awakened about 7:30. Danny took one look at her face, smiled, said, "Give me two minutes", and returned from the bathroom demonstrating that he was prepared to handle her needs.
However, he spent the next half hour driving her senseless before joining with her and taking the two of them to shattering fulfillment.
No wonder she had slept for over an hour; no wonder Danny was still sleeping. CJ suppressed a giggle. She wondered how many other couples were still abed. Did Josh and Donna turn over the preschoolers to the au pairs and lock the door?
CJ giggled again and the slight leak between her legs made her realize that she needed to use the bathroom. She carefully eased her body away from Danny's gently lifting the arm that was draped over her expanding middle, protecting, even in sleep, the child that grew within her.
While she was in the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and took her vitamins. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she blushed. There was an honest to God hickey forming on her neck; unless she wore a turtleneck (and she didn't have any with her), everyone would know. Oh well, it's not as if they didn't have their suspicions, she reasoned.
When CJ returned to the bed, she carefully lay down facing Danny. Thank you, God, for giving me this wonderful man, she prayed.
She felt the need throbbing again between her legs, but knew she would have to sublimate, at least for a while. Suppressing a sigh, she lightly traced Danny's eyebrows with two fingers, then ran them down his profile to his chest. Now with flattened hand, she continued her caress down his chest to his navel and then, lifting her palm so that it was maybe a tenth of an inch in the air, gently hovered over his resting genitalia. Softly, slowly, she lowered her fingers to touch the silkiness.
Danny opened his eyes.
"I thought you'd never ask."
His mouth crushed down on hers as he pressed her against the bed.
About 10:15 AM
CJ and Danny walked into the second floor family room and looked around.
Toby was reading the Times. There was a cut-throat game of Risk ™ taking place between the Hoynes', Bonnie and Jean-Luc, Aisling, and Liz Bartlet (who had taken back her father's name following the divorce and annulment). Larry and his wife were watching one of the shopping channels, discussing whether the kitchen gadget being demonstrated would appeal to Larry's sister.
"There's coffee, juice, bagels, and bacon in the kitchen," Toby told them.
"Where is everyone?"
"Well, the Bartlets, Will and Kate, and the Youngs have not yet graced us with their presence. Sam and Morgan, Ellie and Vic, and Carol and David are watching Wimbledon coverage in the next room. Ed, Eva, Nancy, and Jesse found some ponchos and decided to walk the grounds."
"Josh and Donna?" Danny asked.
"Donna is downstairs in the library on the phone with Dr. McNally. Josh is with the kids in the playroom. Apparently, he's never seen 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. I told him he was missing a crucial part of his education," John Hoynes volunteered.
"And our host and hostess?" CJ wondered.
"Were down here for a while. Then they realized they had some important details to handle for tomorrow, details that could only be handled in their bedroom," Toby smiled.
3:45 PM
The ladies had all been treated to massages and facials and now were relaxing in the heated indoor pool and sauna, drinking mimosas (straight juice for CJ), gossiping, or reading trashy novels. Rick had taken the men to the billiards room; the children were with the au pairs in the bowling alley.
Ginger came into the area with her laptop.
"You have got to see this; it's totally outrageous!"
She explained that last week, she had been doing some research for the latest cause that the family foundation was undertaking.
"I meant to google 'domestic violence', but I hit the enter key after 'domestic', and I saw this site." She keyed in "fondlyandfirmly(dot)com" and up popped a site entitled "The Gentlemanly Art of Spanking the Woman You Love".
"Can you believe it?"
"Ginger, lots of people use spanking as a form of foreplay!" Kate sounded amused.
"I know that!" Ginger replied (and blushed, CJ noted.) "This isn't about erotic spanking. This is something called 'domestic discipline', where the wife consensually submits to being physically corrected by her husband. See, he talks about therapeutic spanking, maintenance spanking, and punishment spanking. Then there's this one, by a woman!" She clicked on a link and up popped "Taken in Hand".
"Oh.My.God." This from CJ. "People actually do this?"
Donna read over her shoulder. "Yeah, they do. Not Josh, I mean, I'd kill him, but some folks – what about that time when you, Diana, and I were in the hot tub and Danny threatened?"
"That's just Danny's way of dealing with fear or worry," CJ said, confident in her knowledge of her man. "He would never actually follow through. Do you really think any of our guys would try something like that?" She looked around at the others in the room and got a chorus of "No ways".
"At least not twice!"
"Mom!"
"It was a joke, Liz! Seriously," the former First Lady continued, pointing at the laptop, "this is totally out of bounds. The erotic bedroom stuff, well, it might be kinky, but no harm, no foul."
The others laughed and nodded in agreement, not noticing that one of their number was not laughing as much as the rest of them.
5:30 PM
Danny had misplaced his cell phone. The last time he remembered having it, the men were in the billiards room on the first floor, taking turns playing and watching rugby on a satellite feed from Dublin. He headed down the stairs and toward the room that reeked of nineteenth century masculinity, with paneled walls, a huge fireplace, deep leather chairs, and the massive granite playing table.
He opened the door and stopped. Rick was there, his arms rigid with his palms resting on the felt covered surface. The New Jersey congressman's shoulders were shaking.
Earlier in the day, Rick had shown the men the room, adjusted the television set that had been placed there for their amusement, told them to ring if they needed the staff to bring food or drink, and then excused himself.
Danny spotted his phone on a side table but decided to leave the room and return later for the device. However, as he turned to leave, he bumped into a credenza.
When Rick looked up, Danny could see the slight redness around his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I've obviously disturbed you at a bad time, but is there anything I can do? Find Ginger for you?"
"No, please," the other man smiled. "Sit?" Rick pointed to one of the club chairs.
"This town, Newport, is where Penny and I met, where we fell in love. In fact, the carriage house is where we – the first time; we were nineteen. After we married, we spent a lot of time here, she preferred it to Cape May. She was a native New Englander.
"This pool table. When she was carrying the kids and got too big, well, we found an old featherbed, the table is really sturdy, and just the right height."
Danny nodded in understanding. Soon CJ would be past the point where they could make use of the "missionary" position and while he didn't mind her being on top or in front of him in the rear-entry position, there was something primal about looking down into her eyes, with her arms and legs around him. Their dining room table at home probably wasn't sturdy enough, but his desk - .
"Anyway, I come here for Thanksgiving, Mom likes it, but other than that, I tend to think of Cape May as where Ginger and I are together when we aren't in Washington or in Morristown. When the announcement about Fitz' ship came out and Mom suggested we transfer the party here, Ginger at first demurred, knowing how I felt, but it made so much sense. I figured I could deal with it, that there would be so much going on and so many people, but this damned rain - ."
For the past two months, Danny had been experiencing a return of the feeling that he might not be on earth for much longer. He felt as if he were approaching the crucial point, the crossroads where his destiny could go in one of two directions.
As part of his musings, Danny wondered about CJ. Would she, if left a widow, marry Paul as Danny hoped? If she did marry the minister who had been so important in her college days, would she still think of Danny? What was it like to lose a spouse, to love that first person, and then to find love and happiness with a second? Does love for one diminish love for the other?
"No, it doesn't."
Danny didn't realize that he had spoken aloud and started to apologize to Rick.
"No need," the other man replied. Then he explained that he missed Penny every day, took joy in seeing her face reflected in those of Bryce and Chantelle. Sev had her ears, but the rest of his oldest son was a mirror image of himself. And yet, he reveled in Ginger's love, in seeing her red hair on Celia and Matty; he lost himself in Ginger's caring, her goodness, and couldn't imagine life without her.
"Somehow, you manage to love them both, together and differently.
"But enough about me. How did the first lesson with Paddy go?"
"Not bad. But thanks for the tip about changing into shorts and taking off my shoes. And he did ask about size, although he's seen me naked before."
Right before lunch, when the little kids finished watching the movie and came into the big family room to join the other adults, Paddy walked up to Danny, held onto his father's leg, and buried his face against Danny's thigh.
Seeing the slight tear stains, Danny took his son into a little nook behind a set of bookcases, knelt down so the two of them were at eye level, and asked him what was wrong.
"Noah was mean to me; he called me a baby."
"You're not a baby. Hoop is still a baby, but you're going to be a big brother, remember. You sleep in your own room now and you have bunk beds like Mike and Steve. Why does Noah think you're still a baby?"
"He said I pee like a baby, or a girl; that big boys pee standing up. I want to pee like you do!"
Paddy may have finally "grokked" toilet training a little later than usual, but apparently he wanted to catch up fast. Danny looked at his son, already closer to four feet than three and figured that he was tall enough that something to stand on wouldn't be necessary. However, according to the books, it would help to have a target, so he approached Rick, who looked in the kitchen and did find some Cheerios in the back of one of the cabinets. Rick advised him that it might take some time; that once Paddy got home and away from Noah Lyman's more advanced progress and teasing, he could lose interest in the process until he encountered more peer pressure.
Saturday June 30, 2012
The morning dawned clear and cloudless. After breakfast, the reunion crowd left the children in the care of the au pairs, boarded the bus that Ginger had chartered, and, accompanied by Secret Service and California state agents, traveled the sixty some miles to New London, where the USS Fitzwallace would be christened and based.
Following the christening, there was a luncheon and some time for sightseeing. Then everyone headed back to Newport for the evening's festivities. The President and Mrs. Santos, several cabinet members (including Nancy McNally), and some other senior staff (including Annabeth and Ronna) would be joining them, spending the night and part of the next day before returning to Washington late Sunday night.
Once they returned to Newport, the parents spent some time with their children (who were more interested in the pool party, wienie roast, skating party, and movie that had been planned for them), the new guests were settled into their rooms, and everyone rested until time to prepare for the formal dinner at 8:30 and the dancing that would follow.
7:00 PM
They woke from their nap about an hour earlier.
The man had kissed the ear of the woman, who shifted her upper leg, letting the man know that his attentions were more than welcome. He had made sure she was ready to receive him then gently moved into her.
Afterward, they had showered together and now were sitting on the sofa in their room, wrapped in terrycloth robes, catching the end of the evening news.
"How about some wine?" she asked.
"Thanks, angel." As she got up to fetch the chardonnay, he playfully patted her fanny.
She stopped immediately and sighed.
He knew the signal; he took her hand and gently lowered her across his knees. Pushing up the robe, he began to drop soft little slaps on her derriere, each one little more than just letting gravity take control of his hand, and ending each one with a caress of her posterior.
His other hand kept her from falling, but was not restraining her; she was always free to push away.
She had told him about the discussion in the pool room a day earlier. She wondered what the others would think of her, think of him, if they knew. He also wondered what judgment CJ or Donna might make if either of them ever found out.
"Which is why they won't," he said to himself. It had taken her so long to find the courage to tell him that she found his absent-minded swats incredibly erotic, to be able to ask for more. She told him that it sent vibrations through her body, from back to front; he discovered that if he could manage to reach under her with his other hand and use his fingers, he could drive her crazy.
After the first few times, they went to talk with their pastor, for reassurance, half afraid of what he might say. But the man of God just talked with them, first together, then separately, then together again. The pastor made sure that it was consensual. When the cleric talked with her, he probed gently, wanting to know if there had been any abuse in her childhood or youth. When the pastor talked with him, he talked at length about the thin line between being dominant and domineering, making sure that he was doing it for her and not for any sense of machismo, stressing that for this form of love play, she had to be in total control.
So he told her that he would never initiate it and that he would stop on a dime whenever she asked or if she pulled away.
She moved her pelvis against his groin and he responded. She swallowed a scream and shuddered.
He helped her to her feet, then carried her to the bed.
They would need another shower before dinner.
About 10:00 PM
It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.
"I feel like I'm in a movie!" CJ exclaimed as Danny danced her out of the formal ballroom and onto the terrace. There were Japanese lanterns strung on the terrace, out on the lawn, even in the gazebos that dotted the grassy expanse.
"That old black magic has me in its spell
That old black magic that you weave so well"
Danny sang along to the big band sounds emanating from the ballroom, and swung her to the edge of the terrace, down the steps, and continued dancing to the nearest gazebo. Sitting on one of the benches, Danny pulled CJ into his lap and began to thoroughly kiss her, his left hand holding the back of her head while his right hand played with the folds of the white Grecian-style cotton gown that Hank had designed for her blooming body. Then he slipped that hand under fabric at her left shoulder to cup her breast.
"Danny! What if someone comes by! Move your hand!"
"H'kay."
The hand left her breast to slide down to her feet, then under the hem, back up the bare leg and under the hem of her panties.
"Dan-EEE! What are you doing?"
"Just reenacting what probably happened many times over the years in this enchanting place. I'm having a wonderful time and I don't want you and your super-charged libido dragging me upstairs too early. Now, open wider," he commanded.
CJ obeyed Danny's orders and a few minutes later, collapsed against his chest while he stroked her hair, helping her to regain her composure.
"God, Danny, I'm going to soak through my undies and then my dress!"
"I am nothing if not prepared, my love." Danny reached into his inside breast pocket, pulled out a folded handkerchief, slipped his hand once more under CJ's gown and panties, and proceeded to wipe away the results of his efforts. Then he bunched up the handkerchief and tossed it under the bench.
"You aren't going to take that with you?"
"Honey, it's not monogrammed or anything, no one will know it's mine. If I put it back in my pocket and later dance with someone else, your scent will - ", he left the sentence unfinished.
"But what if I want you to, I mean, later?" He could see her impish smile in the moonlight.
"I have three more handkerchiefs. And I can always pick up some napkins."
Then it was his turn to have an impish grin.
"I think I'll plan on doing this two, three times a day, just to keep you in check. You were telling me about those 'maintenance spankings' on that domestic discipline site, the one you and the others were freaking out over? I think I'd rather give you maintenance hand jo - " She stopped his worlds with her mouth.
After a minute, Danny broke away and asked her if they could return to the dance floor for a couple of hours.
"Well, maybe ninety minutes," CJ grinned, as he gently nudged her off his lap, took hold of her hand, and led her back toward the ballroom.
Two hours later, Danny turned away from the table that held champagne, cheese, fruit, and petit fours. He watched CJ dancing with Toby. She was wearing the iolites he had given her when she was carrying the twins. The white of her gown and the iciness of her silver and blue-violet jewelry set off the glow of her tan. She was wearing silver strappy sandals on her otherwise bare feet. The draping folds of her gown were thick enough to hide the fact that she wasn't wearing a slip; Hank had sewn in a strapless bra, so her only other garment was her panties.
Toby and Andy were fighting again, so Toby was here by himself. Andy and the twins were in West Virginia on a rafting trip (class I only, Toby insisted). Suddenly, Danny decided he didn't want CJ dancing with Toby, and started to walk toward the couple.
Before he got there, Glen Walken and Ainsley Hayes danced up to CJ and Toby; partners were exchanged.
Danny looked around. Aisling was dancing with President Santos; Mrs. Santos was with Rick. Sam was dancing with Donna; Josh with Morgan. President Bartlet was with Liz, Ginger with her older stepson. Everyone else appeared to be with their spouses.
"Hey, sailor, new in town? Got a nickel, want to dance?"
Abbey Bartlet came up behind him, playfully goosing his ass.
Danny bowed from his waist, held out his hand, and led the former First Lady onto the dance floor.
Two music selections later, Danny was dancing again with CJ; three songs after that, he was leading her to the terrace and the gazebo.
Sunday July 1, 2012; late afternoon
The meteorologists were correct; the weather stayed beautiful. Everyone was down by the shore, eating snacks while trying to save room for the clams, lobsters, chicken, corn, and potatoes that were cooking under the tarp weighed down by stones and surrounded by boards to keep the children from running over the pit.
"Here you go, Uncle Danny." Aisling handed her uncle a beer and sat down beside him on the blanket.
He turned to thank her and took in the bottle of water in her hand. "They're out of cokes and stuff?"
"No, there's plenty. I just didn't want any of it."
Danny knew that were they in Europe, in Ireland (or even behind the walls of the Concannon house in Santa Monica), Aisling would be drinking beer, wine, or the MacDonald whiskey; but apparently she was respecting the laws of Rhode Island and not putting her hosts in jeopardy. It was, Danny had to admit, another sign of the maturity that Erin and Robin saw in her. However, Danny still intended to talk with her about "not making any mistakes in Rehoboth" before she left with Carol and David the day after tomorrow.
"Make it bigger, Mama!"
Danny looked up and saw that CJ and Ginger were building a sand castle with help from Paddy, Celia, and Noah Lyman. Apparently, Paddy had proven his "big boy" status to the other boy and they were friends again. CJ was wearing one of those two piece suits with a loose-fitting top that tied around her hips. Once again, Danny mused that pregnancy made a woman seem so appealing, at least to the man responsible for said pregnancy.
This morning, when they went to Mass with the Bartlets and the Santos', he thought she was showing a little more than she had been the day before. When she was pregnant with the twins, she at times had emotional issues as she increased; with Paddy, she did some good-natured complaining but was in good spirits. How much of that was experience and how much was because Diana and Donna were pregnant at the same time, he didn't know. Hopefully, by now she knew that he would find her only more and more beautiful as the baby grew within her.
"Hey, watch it!" Ginger shouted, as Kate almost trampled one side of the castle. The UN Ambassador was in the back row of her side's volleyball team, and she was backing up to answer a rather potent volley from Charlie.
There was a sharp intake of breath from his younger niece. Danny looked over, saw the faraway look in Aisling's eyes, and knew that she was seeing something behind the veil of the present. He followed the direction of her stare, saw Jed Bartlet sitting with President Santos, Sam, Donna, and John Hoynes, who was cradling his son over his left shoulder. Danny knew what she was seeing, and felt the need to let her know that he saw it also.
"I should dig out my phone. That picture would be worth a lot of money some day. A former president, the current president, and two future presidents enjoying beer, salsa, and chips."
Aisling just smiled. She knew that there weren't two future presidents in the group; there were three.
Thursday, July 5; near Brockton, MA about 10:30 AM
"Not that I mind, understand, but tell me again why you're here driving to Manchester with me instead of in the plane with CJ, Bonnie, and Nancy?"
"I don't know how it happened," Jesse Muñoz laughed. "President Bartlet is a very persuasive man. And he is definitely in league with Mr. Estevez. What do you want to bet that when we get to the Bartlet farm, I'll be given a room with a twin bed and that when the girls return from Canada on Monday, she'll be sharing Annie Westin's room?"
"I'm not about to throw away good money," Danny responded.
Two hours earlier, a helicopter took CJ, Bonnie, and Nancy to Theodore F. Green airport just south of Providence and the Hollis Foundation jet that would take them to Montreal.
Jean-Luc and Giselle drove up to Canada while Danny, Jesse, and Paddy followed the Bartlet contingent to the farm.
The Lymans, Carol and David, and most of the other West Wing staff returned to Washington on Monday, but John and Margaret, Will and Kate, the Bartlets, the Youngs, and the Faisons stayed in Newport with Rick and Ginger for the holiday.
Saturday, July 7, 2012; Awasiwi Odanack Farm, NH
"Puppies!"
"Paddy, no!"
Abbey Bartlet hurried up to stop the child from grabbing one of the lab/golden mix puppies from the box.
"These puppies are brand new babies and we need to be careful with them. Also, their mama is very protective and she might get mad if you just pick up one of them; she doesn't know you."
The former First Lady knelt down and caressed the head of the vigilant and nervous dog who was nursing her brood and giving Paddy a somewhat menacing look. The whelping box was in the utility room off the kitchen. It was far enough out of the way that the new mother would not feel that her litter was threatened, it was warm, with the heat radiating from the hot water tank (and the space heater Abbey put in the room), and there was easy access to water for any clean ups.
"It's okay, Bella. No one's gonna hurt your babies," she crooned. "Is it okay if we look at them, if I check up on them?"
Abbey yawned. She had been up most of the night, watching over Bella as she delivered her pups. It had been a while since Abbey had delivered a human child, but since her husband's last day in office, she had become quite the veterinarian with the pets and the pigs. (She left the cows and the horses to the professionals, but did assist the large animal vet who took are of their animals.)
Abbey picked up the seven little puppies, still with eyes and ears closed, one at a time. She made sure that the umbilical cord stumps were healing.
"Do you want to touch this one, Paddy?" She held the squirming little thing cupped in both her hands and lifted her arms toward the little boy.
"Can I have one?"
"First of all, it's may I have one?" Danny corrected his son. "Second, May I have one what?"
"May I have one, plee-eas-see?"
"Sweetie, right now they need to stay with their mama," Abbey told Paddy.
"Why?"
"Because she has to feed them and teach them how to be puppies, son," Danny said. "By the time they are ready to leave her, we'll be back home."
Paddy had started asking about a dog two months ago. Danny and CJ decided that they would wait until his fourth birthday, next year. That was how old Danny was when his family gave him Pistol. They felt it was important that the dog be introduced after the baby was born, to reinforce its place in the family pecking order. By next June, the baby would be six months old and things might just be a little less hectic. Hopefully, Danny will have finished work on the Pope's biography and would have been awarded his PhD; he would be able to spend the summer training the dog.
Just then, the Faisons and Zoey arrived from their supermarket errand. The three of them were eating ice cream sandwiches.
Ellie handed one to Paddy and her son.
"Outside!" Abbey told Paddy and her youngest grandchild, averting (for the moment) the puppy crisis.
For the next few minutes, Ellie and Zoey put away the groceries.
"Mom, come upstairs with us. Zoey found a couple of things and she's not sure she wants to keep them."
"For a bit. Then I think I need a nap."
After the women left the kitchen, Vic opened the refrigerator, grabbed a couple of beers, and handed one to Danny. They sat outside on the deck, talking about the baseball season.
A few minutes later, Charlie came out and joined them.
"Too many women in my bedroom," Charlie laughed. "I told Zoey to keep everything, but she said she had spent too much. It's good to see her laughing again."
Danny and Vic looked at Charlie, questions in their eyes.
"Last month, she miscarried. We hadn't told anyone she was pregnant, it was barely a month. Of course, once it happened, we told her folks. The doctors want us to wait a few months before trying again.
"All I could do was hold her, tell her that I loved her, and hold in my own tears," Charlie continued. "Then she started wondering about maybe having waited too long, that she should have been ready when I asked the first time, right before the '06 convention."
Danny and CJ had thought that Charlie and Zoey seemed a little less vibrant when everyone was in Newport; now Danny knew why.
Danny and Vic commiserated with Charlie. Vic told Charlie that he shouldn't try to "suck it up", that he needed to let out his own feelings, to share them with his wife.
"Charlie, we were trying for almost a year before we made this baby," Danny told the young lawyer. "We were so incredibly lucky with the twins, at least getting them conceived, and then with Paddy. It's a fine line between being sensitive to her feelings and keeping her from going into the deep end."
Then Danny asked him about his work at Harvard.
"It's perfect," Charlie replied. "I don't have to go through the eighty hour hell that new associates at a private law firm do. Zoey and I can have a real life together. Don't get me wrong, there's lots of work to do, but it's not overwhelming. Some of my G-town classmates have failed marriages, and one guy had a breakdown. We have a nice little townhouse; most of the down payment came from her trust fund, which was a little unnerving, but she's accepted the fact that I'm covering the mortgage and most of the daily expenses, so I guess it will all wash out in the end."
"Is she still working with the Boston Vistors' Bureau?"
"Yeah. With her Spanish, Italian, and French, she's serving a real need. They'd like her to learn Portuguese as well."
"Hey, guys." Jesse came up the steps and sat down with the others. "I could sure use one of those." He looked at the beer the other men were holding.
"Oh?" Vic asked as Danny got up to fetch more bottles from the kitchen.
"Are you guys sure that your father-in-law and Mr. Estevez aren't twins who were separated at birth?"
"Just wait until you two finally do decide to take the plunge," Charlie laughed. "I mean, the man gave me a frigging carving set that had been made by Paul Revere and I still got roasted! I can't imagine what you had to go through," Charlie looked at Vic, "having knocked up the middle daughter."
"He tried, but I held my ground," the biologist replied.
Danny came back, handed beers to Jesse, Vic, and Charlie, then sat down with his glass of iced tea.
Seeing the other men's looks, he explained that after the Concannons returned to Santa Monica, he had a physical scheduled and wanted to pass with flying colors. With the new baby, he wanted to get another 20 year term policy, to increase his coverage by another $500,000.
"Jesse," Charlie said, "with all due respect, you and Nancy have been a couple for two years now, right? I can understand why Nancy's father might be wondering. Hell, I'm wondering myself."
"It's more her than me, Charlie. She worries about who will take care of her parents when they can't manage for themselves. I keep telling her that if and when that day comes, that she and her brothers should do what everyone else does, work out whatever's best for all concerned. But this idea of a daughter's duty to her parents is a hard one to fight. I know that my great-uncle Fernando had a hissy fit when my aunt Rosario married; he wondered who would take care of his brother and sister-in-law. But Abuelo told Tio Fernando that if his daughter found a man to love, he wanted her to be happy.
"Granted, I see Nancy and me together, but I'm not going to force her with an ultimatum. She's one quarter Irish and - "
"We Micks can be pretty bull-headed," Danny laughed. "Just remember, if you wait much longer, all her bridesmaids will be pulling forty rather than pushing it."
"I wondered where you all had gotten to." The four men stood as President Bartlet came through the kitchen door. "Everything ready for your camping trip on tomorrow?"
"Yes sir," Vic responded as all five of them took their seats. Vic looked at Danny with a glint in his eyes. "You sure you don't want to join us?"
"No, I think I'll stay here with my wife, the other womenfolk, and the president. But I thank you for taking my son with you."
Jesse sighed.
"See, now, if you had made an honest woman out of that girl, you could have a nice reunion, too."
"If I can talk her into it when the plane lands, you're licensed to perform here, aren't you?"
"There's a three-day waiting period in New Hampshire," the former president replied.
CJ and Nancy would be flying back from Canada on Monday morning. They would stay overnight with the Bartlets and then a Hollis Foundation jet would take the Concannons, Nancy, and Jesse to Santa Monica late Tuesday afternoon. Bonnie, Jean-Luc, and Giselle were spending more time in Canada with Jean-Luc's family. A second jet would be taking the Hollis' and Glen Walken to Capetown for another meeting.
When Danny, Paddy, and Jesse arrived at the farm on Thursday, Abbey asked Danny if he wanted Paddy in with him or to share a room with Ellie and Vic's son, who was two years older than Paddy. She had an extra rollaway, so either way would work. (Jesse had been shown to the first floor den. It contained love seat that folded out to a "twin plus" bed. When Jesse looked at Danny, the former reporter said "I never accepted that bet.")
"Can I stay with you, Daddy?"
Paddy wanted to be a big boy, but after spending almost a whole week with the other boys in the big room at Miss Ginger's, he really missed his Mama and his Daddy. And now Mama was up in Canada. Growing up was not always all it was cracked up to be.
"May I -"
Paddy didn't always remember, but he was a quick thinker.
"May I stay with you, Daddy, please?" he finished his father's sentence.
"Okay, but you have to sleep in the bed that Grandma Abbey will give you, and when Mama comes back on Monday, you need to sleep with Eddie."
Monday was a long way away. Paddy was happy.
Over the next three days, Paddy got to feed chickens, tried to learn how to milk a cow (not too successfully), sit on a pony, play with the new litter of pigs, and ride on a horse (sitting in front of his daddy.) He also got to swim in a stream and giggled as the little minnows moved up against his feet. He went on walks in the woods with Grandpa Jed to pick blackberries and helped Grandma Abbey make a pie with the fruit.
"Daddy, can we have a farm?"
Danny explained that taking care of a farm was a lot of work. Mama had a very important job helping lots of people all over the world and didn't have any time to do what Grandma Abbey did. And Daddy was studying hard to be a professor and was writing books.
"I like country!"
"Well, after we go home for a little bit, we'll be going up to Albion. That's like the country, isn't it?"
Paddy forgot about the house in the woods. He could chase after squirrels. Maybe there was even a stream with fishies for swimming.
"Yay!"
Monday July 9, 2012; Manchester NH Regional Airport
"Mama!"
Paddy ran up as CJ and Nancy left the customs area.
"I miss you! I go camp tonight. I held piggie!"
CJ knelt down to hug her son and smiled at her husband as he took the bags from the flight steward.
Danny helped CJ to her feet and kissed her as Paddy continued to pull on her hand and to tell her all about his adventures.
Meanwhile, Jesse was greeting Nancy in a similar manner and taking charge of her luggage.
Nancy pulled away from Jesse as she listened to his words.
"You're going camping tonight?"
"Well, the Bartlets have you in with Liz upstairs and they have me in the den on the first floor right next to their suite - ".
"CJ!" Nancy called out to get the attention of her traveling companion. "Dibs on the bedroom on the plane tomorrow when we go back to California!"