Messieurs Mom
CJ/Danny
Rating Late Teen –
Spoilers through end of series
Feedback and criticism always welcomed
Not mine, never were, never will be, but they consume my soul
January 16, 2015; 9:15 am PST; Santa Monica, CA
"Good-bye, sweetie. Mama loves you. I'll see you on Monday afternoon. Be a good girl for Daddy."
CJ repeated much the same words (except for gender references, of course) that she had used with her son some two hours ago.
Caitlin grabbed hold of her mother's hair and held it to her mouth.
"Gu girl Dada. Kiss."
CJ gently unclasped the little redhead's fingers, released her hold on her daughter, and stood up, looking into Danny's eyes.
"Hey, you."
Danny gathered CJ into his arms and pressed the right side of his head against the right side of hers.
"God keep you in His hands, darling. Enjoy yourself and come back to us safely."
A brief kiss and CJ was walking down the sidewalk, rolling her suitcase behind her, toward the Muñoz Escalade where Diana, Jessica, Sally, Hannah, and Aviva were waiting for her. Across the street, Yan was in the Wei Avalon with Sonya, Nancy, and Laura.
With final waves from Danny, Steve, Jesse, and Pete, the women of the block drove off toward Big Sur.
Ken Robbins had the idea before anyone else and just happened to tell Danny and Frank about the special Christmas present he was planning for his wife. The Air Force general and the USC professor thought it was an excellent idea and asked to "borrow" it. As the other men on the block found out about it, they also decided to join the group, and, with the nine of them (plus Hank, Steve, and the Jenkins twins) deciding to split costs for Jessica, the plans were finalized. The adult women of the block would be treated to a luxury spa experience on MLK weekend.
Somehow, the secret was kept. The husbands made the reservations, arranged for time off with employers, and made plans for child care without any of the women suspecting anything. On Christmas morning, all ten of them were thoroughly surprised (especially Hannah and Aviva, who thought they had received the final Chanukah present on the evening of the 23rd.)
"Dada. Pee."
Right around Thanksgiving, Caitlin had expressed an interest in using a potty chair. (CJ theorized that it was a result of spending time with Pammy, who was sixteen months Caitlin's senior, and had just been successfully toilet-trained by Hank and Steve and who was very proud of the frilly underwear that Hank purchased for the little girl.) CJ and Danny decided against making a big deal of it just yet, but to react positively when Caitlin expressed a need, so devices were placed in both the main bath in the bedroom wing and in the half-bath between the family room and the kitchen. So far, the little girl seemed to be batting .500 on number one and .667 on number two.
"Okay, sweetheart."
Danny took hold of the little hand that was pulling on his fingers and walked with his daughter back into the house.
After successfully helping Caitlin, the two of them went to the kitchen, where Danny finished cleaning up after breakfast and Caitlin played on the floor with Destiny. Then Danny took the child to his study (with the yellow lab following), where she pounded on a toy "computer" while Danny edited his lecture notes for one of the classes he would be teaching this semester. A baby gate across the door kept the toddler in the room.
About an hour later, Danny looked up to see Caitlin fast asleep on the floor, her head resting on the belly of a softly snoring Destiny.
After carrying his daughter to the nursery (Caitlin had no problem staying in the crib and because she was having what appeared to be nightmares on occasion, CJ and Danny had decided to keep her close to them for the time being), Danny walked into the bedroom and started to make the bed. Then the scents of the previous night's activities (and those of earlier that morning) reached his nostrils; he sat down on the edge of the mattress and reflected on same.
Last night's was typical of many of their end of day sexual encounters. It was not pedestrian or routine, but neither was it the stuff of paperback romances. The foreplay was genuine and tender; Danny made sure that CJ had climaxed before entering her, "just in case." (As it turned out, after Danny came, CJ pulled at his hand and held it tightly against her for a few seconds, then tensed and melted.) After play consisted of a few kisses; CJ turned her back to him and snuggled her backside into his groin, pulling his arm around her shoulders.
The wee hour of the morning encounter was another thing altogether. Danny wasn't sure who woke first, but after CJ turned around to face him and they had exchanged three delicate kisses and one erotic one, Danny pushed her gently unto her stomach. Placing a pillow under CJ to bring her to the perfect angle, he positioned her arms and legs to optimize their contact with each other. Bringing his body over hers, he gently lowered his upper body to cover hers and carefully pushed his erection into her warmth and wetness.
His kisses covered her neck, her shoulders, the side of her face. When Danny wasn't kissing her, he whispered words of love and adoration.
After a few minutes, Danny slipped his right hand between CJ and the pillow and began the delicate little dance that would bring her satisfaction. It was a point of personal pride for him that when he loved her in this fashion, he took her to fulfillment at least twice before giving in to his own arousal. The sensation of her climaxing with him stuffed inside her, the fit as tight as a latex glove, was always a wonderful feeling, but experiencing it in this particular position was incredible. The physical feelings, the trust in and submission to his love, the sense of needing to protect her from the world and from any pain that she might suffer should he not maintain the thin line between lust and undue roughness, all combined to make this particular form of marital congress the most intimate and the most precious in their universe.
Afterward, he continued to whisper words of devotion to her, gentling her down from the heights of her third trip. Both of them knew that they would be apart for three nights; both of them remembered the events on the Pacific three years earlier, when the boat went dead, and knew that nothing should be taken for granted.
Danny sighed, stood up, and finished making the bed. It was going to be a long, long weekend.
Danny figured that Caitlin would nap for a little less than an hour. After that, he would take her to the beach for a picnic. At 2:15, he had to pick up Maggie and Paddy at kindergarten. Maggie would stay at their place until Carmen came home with Mike and Steve at 4:00.
Having Carmen take the others to school was much too convenient and the young woman had proven to be a trustworthy chauffer. However, neither the Muñoz' nor the Concannons wanted the two littlest ones to stay in the afterschool program for an additional ninety minutes until the other boys and Carmen were finished with school for the day. None of the families on the block wanted their kids to be over programmed; they wanted the kids to have time for unstructured play at home. So the two families alternated picking up Maggie and Paddy in the afternoon, but relied on Carmen to take the five year olds to school in the morning.
7:30 PM
Danny stretched as the newest Disney DVD entered the climactic scene. Maggie squealed slightly and clutched at Paddy's hand. Danny was pleased to see his son put a reassuring arm around the little girl's shoulders. The two of them were lying on the floor in front of the family room couch, Destiny making an obliging pillow for the two of them. Danny was lying on the couch, his upper body making a mattress for a lightly snoring Caitlin.
Ten years ago, Danny would never have believed that he would have the life he was now leading. CJ was not only his wife, but the mother of his children – a son that looked like her and who wanted to be "like Daddy" and a daughter who was his feminine clone and who trusted her father to keep her world safe and secure. And CJ felt secure enough in his love to allow him to take care of her. She trusted him to provide for her without taking away her worth as a person. She loved him enough to give him the gift of knowing that his children were always with at least one of their parents. Every three months or so, Danny asked CJ if she was okay with their situation. Did she want to go back to the Foundation, or to do something else? All she had to do was tell him, and they would work it out. And every time, CJ told him that someday, she probably would want to get "involved" again, but for now, as long as Danny was comfortable being the only breadwinner, she was happy "sponging off him".
("And it's not as if you expect me to be Donna Reed or Harriet Nelson. You help with the cooking, the laundry, the cleaning, such as it is. I'm the one getting the better end of the deal now. I get to spend as much time with my kids as I want."
"Yeah, but I'm not slaving in an office or a factory for forty or more hours a week. I'm at home one full day and two half days a week."
"So let's stop talking about our blessings and enjoy them, Danny. When I get bored, or restless, I'll let you know.")
Suddenly, the little girl whimpered in her sleep. As she cried out a second time, she flailed her little arms and legs and Danny stifled a curse. Caitlin's left foot managed to hit exactly the wrong place. Ah, well, things could be worse. If CJ were here, Danny would be of no use to her. However, by Monday night, all should be well.
The animated movie came to an end and the two kindergartners sat up.
"Uncle Danny, can we – I mean may we watch another video?" Maggie smiled sweetly at her best friend's father.
"There isn't enough time before bedtime for a full story, Maggie," Danny told the little girl. "Why don't the two of you play a game while I put Caitlin to bed?"
Right before it was time to leave the beach for St. Monica's, Danny's mobile had rung. It was Frank Muñoz, calling from El Segundo. A fellow officer had offered him three tickets to the Lakers game that night and Frank wanted to take Mike and Steve. The thing was, what to do about Maggie?
"I know that if I asked, Carmen would change her plans in an instant, but I also know that this sleepover at Josie's has been planned since right after Halloween and I hate to ask her to give it up. Could Maggie stay with you guys tonight?"
Of course she could, Danny replied. It would not be the first time that Maggie slept in the extra bunk in Paddy's room. Frank and the boys were to enjoy the game.
So Danny left Paddy and Maggie in the family room playing Candyland ® while he took Caitlin to the nursery, changed her into pajamas, and put her in the crib without fully waking her. Then he flipped a coin for the older kids to see who would get ready for bed first (Paddy) and then read to the two of them for 20 minutes. Leaving his son's room, Danny told the children that they could talk as long as they wished, but they each had to stay in their own beds and that the light had to stay off. Yes, he would send Destiny into the room later, after she made her final pit stop of the evening.
Danny was relaxing in the hot tub when the phone rang. It was Li Wei, wondering if the Concannons had any Orajel ® . His year old son was teething.
"I tried to call Jesse, but there's no answer," Li said.
Danny reminded Li that the dentist was sitting with the Hammash kids while Wally worked at the restaurant. Danny also told the man that if Jesse didn't have anything at the house, Danny did have the whiskey that untold generations of McDonald mothers had used on their children's gums.
Saturday morning
"You're not playing?"
Jesse entered the screened in porch on the Hammash house and closed the door behind him. The other men (except for Timmy Jenkins, who was on duty) and most of the kids were playing street ball.
"With me, there was an odd number of grownups, and someone had to watch Chi'an and the girls."
Dafna Hammash, Pammy, and Caitlin were sitting on the floor of the porch coloring. Little Chi'an Wei was sleeping in his cradle carrier.
Danny also wanted to sit out the game because he was still a bit sore where Caitlin had kicked him.
"Well, I'm back from my emergency extraction, so we'd be even. And we can get one of the girls to watch the kids."
"Carmen's still at her slumber party. Cindy and Audra went to the mall. So you can sit with me, or see of one of the other guys wants a break," Danny told the young dentist.
"Maybe in a bit. The Hollisters got me out of bed at 6:30 and the adrenaline is wearing off."
"There's coffee in the kitchen. I'm about to get a refill. Would you like some?"
"Thanks," Jesse answered, sitting down on the glider next to the chair Danny occupied. "Cream, no sugar."
When Danny returned with two steaming mugs of coffee, Jesse was busy changing Chi'an.
"You do that like a pro," Danny said, then, remembering, "Jesse, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I just hope that Nancy is relaxing this weekend, that she's able to forget for a while."
The week after Thanksgiving, Nancy and Jesse confirmed what CJ had suspected and that come June there would be another baby on the block. Then, two days before Christmas, Nancy lost the baby.
"No, it's not okay. You lost a child, and I know how much that can hurt. I also know how much you want to be strong for Nancy, but you have to be able to mourn yourself. I don't mean to pry, but from what Frank has implied, your father is a bit, well, old school, and I'm not sure that you've been given the comfort you need."
Jesse looked up and smiled at Danny through the shine of tears in his eyes.
"Actually, when he was alone with me, my father and I cried in each other's arms. He told me that my mother had miscarried twice, and that it was the worst feeling in the world. My father is a product of his time.
"And I have to believe what the doctors told us, that Nancy and I are perfectly healthy and that there was nothing to indicate that the baby" Jesse's voice broke just a little "had anything wrong, genetically. Just a fluke of nature, they said. So, we're praying, both for our little angel and for another pregnancy. And working very hard at the latter," Jesse laughed. "Nancy wanted to back out of this weekend, but I told her that the rest of you wouldn't stand for having an adult woman around this weekend. You would want to prove that you can manage without any double-X chromosomes."
"Well, it is definitely taking the whole village," Danny said, "but we're doing okay. Since the weather is holding and since Billy and Sally's pool is heated, we'll be spending the afternoon there. Wally will have to leave for the restaurant, but the rest of us can manage hotdogs on the grill. Wally said he made some potato salad. You're over there again tonight?"
Jesse nodded in the affirmative.
"And Cindy will be with Hank and Steve again tonight?" he asked Danny.
"Yep. And she has a date. Steve is champing at the bit to play the concerned father figure. I'm taking bets as to whether he relents at all on the curfew. So far, it's nine 'no' and two 'yes'. What do you think?"
"Put me down for a 'no'. I've seen Steve manage the females of this block. Uncle Frank says that skill like that shouldn't be wasted on a gay man."
Early Sunday afternoon
"We'll be fine, Frank. Elena and I have eleven children and twenty-three grandchildren between us. And Cindy, Carmen, Steve, Heather, Aaron, and Audra will police themselves. We can manage the other twelve."
"Yes, go, and take Alonzo and Vicente with you. Paloma and I will even clean up this mess so when Diana gets back, she won't have to worry about anything."
Frank looked around the kitchen. It wasn't any messier than it usually was, but then his mother and his mother-in-law had different standards than did Diana. When he invited his father and father-in-law to join the group watching the game, Frank hadn't counted on his mother and mother-in-law tagging along. The men had planned to put the kids in the Robbins family room, paying the older ones to keep an eye on the little ones, while they moved the TV to the deck to watch the NFL playoffs. (A smaller TV and DVD would be placed in the family room for the youngsters.)
"Come on, Papi, Lonzo, let's get out of here," Frank laughed, and the three men left the house, Frank's father carrying the big pot of chili verde con carne that would be part of the afternoon's edibles.
The three men reached the Robbins house just as the pre-game show was ending. Hank pumped beers for the three men from the keg on the deck as Ken showed Vicente to the kitchen so the chili could be kept warm on the stove.
An hour later
"You idiot ref! No way in hell was that holding," Jesse Muñoz exclaimed.
"I don't know, Jesse, from that second replay angle, it sure looked like holding to me," Billy Rogers offered his opinion.
"Billy, if you believe that, you're as stupid as that blind zebra!"
"Stupid! The hell?" Billy rose halfway out of his seat, glaring at the dentist.
"Guys! Calm down! Here, have some shrimp," Wally said, holding out a bowl of the shellfish steamed with Old Bay.
"I'm sorry, Billy," Jesse held out his hand to the other man. "I don't know what came over me."
Frank smiled to himself. He had seen similar temper flare-ups before while on extended tours of duty.
"You guys will be a lot happier tomorrow evening, after the girls return," Frank said.
"But they'll be tired from the long drive," Jesse said with a slight pout.
"Which is why I arranged for Hannah and me to have Tuesday off as well," Joel said with a smile.
"Damn! I didn't think of that," Billy exclaimed.
"Nor did I," Li chimed in glumly.
"Me neither," Pete joined in the circle of regret. He looked at Danny, Frank, Ken, and Wally. "You guys are lucky. Your wives don't work outside the house."
"True, but except for Ken, we have kids at home," said Wally.
"Well, we're free to babysit," Hank told the others. He and Steve were sympathetic to their straight friends.
"You know, I think we've all managed quite well this weekend, but I'd be the first to say that there was something missing without CJ around. We guys have gone off as a group several times, sometimes for just the day, sometimes for the weekend, several times, and we've always enjoyed ourselves, but this is the first time that the women have left us as a group for more than a day or an evening. I wonder if they missed us when we were gone as much as we've missed them. For that matter, I wonder if they've given us any more thought than we gave them when we were on our adventures."
"We gave them thought, Danny," Ken said. "We often talked about being good husbands and fathers."
"True that. I guess they discuss us the same way."
"Yeah," Li said, "I wonder what, if anything, they're saying about us right now."
The same time; Big Sur, CA
Actually, none of the wives were thinking or talking about their husbands, but each and every one of the men was on Jessica's mind as she relaxed under the soothing and capable hands of the man massaging her back, shoulders, arms, and legs.
While she would never understand why God chose to take Rusty from her and from Cindy, Jessica was eternally grateful to Him, for, once having done that, having given her the blessing of living on the same block with these eleven families. The men were her brothers, her uncles, always willing to deal with the things Rusty would have handled had he lived.
All save for one very important exception, thank God. Jessica belonged to a widow's group through the army and another through her church. Many of the women had horror stories about men – "pillars of the church", even bereavement counselors – who were only too willing to offer their "services". Jessica had been hit upon several times ("I knew your husband and I'm sure you were used to a regular sex life. I can help you.") but never by any of the men who cleaned her gutters, fixed her leaking faucets, checked over her car, and provided her daughter with a father figure, living examples of what Rusty would have been had he lived, living examples of what Cindy should expect from a boyfriend.
Jessica knew that the women trusted their men and that they also trusted her. When she and Cindy first moved to the block, all of them (except CJ) had tried to introduce her to eligible potential replacements for her husband, but she let them know that there would never be another man in her life. It took a while, but finally the neighbors believed her and stopped trying to fix her up with eligible men. Nancy even ran pre-emptive interference between Jessica and Nancy's brother Charlie. ("He just won't settle down; he's the quintessential playboy. I think my folks have finally given up hope of his settling down with one woman and not divorcing her within two or three years. They're just grateful that the mothers let the grandkids visit often. I love my brother, and he can be the most charming man in the world. I know what you said, but if he decides he wants to go after you, he can be impossible to resist.")
CJ had been somewhat standoffish at first, which had bothered Jessica until Donna Lyman had explained that CJ felt somehow responsible for Rusty. It took a while for Jessica to convince CJ that she didn't blame either CJ or Jed Bartlet for what happened to her husband in Kazakhstan, but now she felt as close to CJ as she did to the other women on the block.
Jessica also had CJ to thank for her job with Nancy and the Hollis Foundation. With Cindy headed to Berkeley in the fall, Jessica still had forty or more years on this planet and needed something else of meaning in it.
"Okay, that's it. Just rest here as long as you want."
The masseur's voice disrupted Jessica's mental meanderings. Maybe five minutes on the table, she thought, and then the whirlpool.
Monday; 8:45 AM; Santa Monica, CA
"Thank you, Daddy. These are good pancakes," Paddy said, smiling up at his father. Daddy put chocolate chips in the pancakes. The only thing Mama put in her pancakes was fruit, like blueberries or apples, but then Mama also made the pancakes look like Mickey Mouse. However, Paddy wasn't going to say anything about Daddy's plain round pancakes; it wouldn't be polite.
"Well, eat up quickly, before Uncle Frank comes." Frank, Joel, and Billy were going to take some of the kids to the zoo today. Steve had offered to take Caitlin if Danny wanted to go, but the Concannon cable went out last night and now Danny had to sit home waiting for the technician to show up "sometime between 9:00 and 1:00." Besides, he enjoyed spending time with his little girl (even when she kicked him in the genitals) and since the weather was warmer than usual and a sunny day was predicted, Danny decided to get out the kiddy pool.
Two hours later, Danny and Caitlin had moved from the hot tub to the toy pool and were seeing who could make the bigger splash when the phone rang.
"Hey, Danny."
It was Li, calling from across the street. There was some sort of emergency at the lab at UCLA and they needed Li to go in and access the haz-mat level. Mei-ling had gone with the others to the zoo, but Li needed someone to look after Chi'an. Would Danny mind?
"I called Steve, but Pammy's developed a fever and he's on the way to the doctor's."
Of course it was no problem.
"You know," Li said as he set his son in the pool, we've had an interesting weekend. Maybe you should turn it into a made for TV movie script. Too bad you couldn't call it 'Mr. Moms'. It's too close to the other one."
"Well, it would be 'Messieurs Mom', if I wanted to be grammatically correct (and Danny would want to be grammatically correct). And I think we managed quite well. So far, we've managed to keep all the kids healthy, fed, clothed, and happy. Now go handle the problem on campus."
7:30 PM
"I'm home!"
"Mama!"
"Ma!"
"Hey, you."
9:45 PM
"Yes. Oh, yes! YES!"
"You like that?"
"You might say that."
"You want more, Claudia Jean?"
"I want you inside me, Daniel."
"Well, I aim to please, my love."
"Then please aim!"