Hi, so here we are with the start of Season 4 in which we have four chapters to go!
Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine.
Please Read and Review.
I have done a twist on Andy's pregnancy as I still wanted Toby to be a Dad to the twins, I hope you enjoy.
Also some of you may know by now some of you may not I tend to do a double update around Christmas to pump out as many chapters as I can. So there will defo be one if not more chapters following this as soon as this one is published.
And yeah, this took a bit of a turn. Enjoy anyway.
Perhaps Love
Chapter 25-Matter Of Seconds
Jed Bartlett goes to the polls but before he pops open the vodka he wants a word with Harrison. CJ wants to talk to Jake. Andy is pregnant. Sam has some news...but don't worry he is not leaving. All in all the Party at the White House.
"I don't know if this is a good idea"
"He's winning, and while he's winning this is a very good idea. Besides there is going to be a nice dinner and some drinks and we can go and sit in Dad's office and listen to the communication staff have a breakdown over Michigan's sixth circuit."
"Does Michigan even have a sixth circuit?"
"I don't know. Look there's going to be smoked salmon bellini's with caviar that costs more than your mother takes home in a month and more than my parents take home in a year"
"You know Caviar is fish eggs don't you?"
That pulled Jake up short and Harrison next to him grinned. It looked a little bit brighter than before and he took both a note and some comfort in that but before he could do anything he smiled and carried on walking forcing Jake to play catch up.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I am sure"
There's a pause as they both walked into the communications bullpen and—
"Jacob"
It was empty bar the President of the United States. Yeah. Jake might not be the smartest guy in the room but he knew a set up when he saw one. Harrison clearly saw it too because he went white.
"Mr President. Looks like your gonna win"
"Yeah I know they just can't get rid of me. How you doing Harrison?"
"Fine Sir"
"Aha. Listen kid, I wanted to…I wanted…I am going to make getting rid of Don't Ask Don't Tell an administration policy next year. I have five Commanders and the Joint Chiefs all backing me, If that doesn't work then Fitzwallace himself is going to personally make sure that you are appointed to the Navy. And I wanted to tell you…that if this gets out I personally ostracise whatever guttersnipe newspaper published it. I will personally send them to Yemon I will make their closure part of every international treaty that I can find and then I will march with you and every man and woman and I will be proud to call myself an ally"
Harrison blinked. Jake blinked.
"Jed"
"Not now Abby I am focusing on new policy"
"Aha, you haven't won yet, leave the two boys alone and come have some vodka. At some point New Hampshire is going to be announced and then we can slip away"
The President nodded patted Harrison on the arm and then carried on. Abby Barlett winked at the two of them and then.
"Keep your head up kid" and then she was gone.
Harrison turned to Jake.
"Don't look at me like that, I didn't know what the hell he was doing"
"Yeah"
"I mean it, I didn't know what the hell he was doing"
"Okay"
"I mean…wow."
"I know. Kind of makes you want to vote for him doesn't it."
"Yeah. Shame this will be his last election. He could easily do a third"
Just as they were about to go in search of food there was a shout down the hallway from the incomparable Abby Bartlett.
"Don't give him any ideas boys!"
The President won.
The President won comfortably.
Jake knew this because he was able to watch his parents. His father got relaxed when Texas went blue and that was before his mothers screamed so loudly when Arizonia did the same that he nearly spat out his drink. Josh picked Donna up a little after one and spun her around in circles when it was clear that California was going blue and when Oregon went blue Sam turned and kissed Ainsely so hard it was like a rated movie. His hand on her belly he had pulled back and they had stared at each other with a smile.
"How far along is she?" Harrison asked as he took another plate of food. They had commanded the couch and taken the smoked salmon and then later the chorizo pigs in blankets. Hidden underneath Harrison's jacket was a bottle of champagne that they had stolen and then they had piffled a bottle opener. The second this was over they were finding and empty room and getting drunk. Anna was away on holiday with her Dads so it was just the two of them and they felt like two children who had been let off the leash by Momma.
"Far along?"
"Yeah she's pregnant right?"
He looked at Ainsley and then shrugged.
"Yeah I guess so. Andy's pregnant"
"Confirmed"
"Yeah"
There was a pause and then. "I thought you were okay with that?"
"I am okay with that, I never had a problem with a baby. I didn't sign up for twins though. And I know that it's not Andy's fault or anything like that I just…"
"Didn't sign up for twins"
"No. Look you wanna go and get drunk?"
"Lead the way wingman"
CJ turned after it was declared they had won to hug Toby. For a second his hands lingered on her hips but it was nothing compared to what the rest of the staff were doing. Donna had both her legs around Josh's waist. Leo was with Jordan Kendall who was beaming ear to ear as he presented her with earrings (anyone who said Leo wasn't smooth was an idiot the man was the smoothest of them all) and Sam and Ainsley were locked in a lip lock that was borderline inappropriate. She closed her eyes and let him kiss her softly and then.
"By the way Bruno thinks Jake is having sex"
Toby looked at her and then started laughing.
"Tomorrow" was all he said. "Right now I want to get drunk and I want to get drunk with you. Let's get drunk and you can take me to bed"
"Why do I always end up taking you to bed?"
"Because you're the one who always says that a tequila shot wouldn't hurt."
She could concede the point there and then that he was usually right.
And it had been a long time.
Her last thought as another glass of champagne was put into her hadn was that Andy could go suck on it.
It was a very inappropriate thing to think but there it was.
In the morning CJ could always blame the alcohol after all.
Both of them were drunk and giggling. They were sat on the floor in a room where unbeknownst to them Donna had once called out the First Lady and they were both giggling. Several sandwiches lay between them but the champagne was flowing between them and they were giggling.
"Your Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad" Harrison said as Jake staggered back in sliding to the door with another bottle.
"Yeah but they won't care. Sam just announced Ainsley's pregnant, Josh and Donna are dancing, Leo and his lawyer friend are in his office with eh door shut and Charlie, Margaret, Bonnie and Ginger have cracked out the spirit board so I think were gonna be okay. Besides nobody is getting home tonight"
"You forgot Carol—"
"Oh" Jake gasped. "I did forget Carol. I think…" he closed his eyes trying to get his brain to work and remember.
"I think she was with the reporters"
"Carol would never speak to the reporters."
"Nah I think she Chris and Kaite are in some threeway thing"
"Jacob you have one hell of a mind"
"Well she's not with Ed and Larry. They are off doing…Ed and Larry things"
There was a pause as they both looked at each other and then they both started laughing uncontrollably as Jake poured them another glass emptying the bottle.
Harrison leaned his head back on the door.
"I love you, you know"
"I know"
"No you don't" Harrison shook his head and his eyes were very wet. "You don't know."
There was something here but Jake couldn't get his brain to work for a second. Harrison turned to look at him and then he shrugged and Jake suddenly got it.
"Oh" he said quietly.
"Yeah"
"Oh" he said again.
"You hate me"
"No" he said leaning back against the wall. "I will never hate you."
"You wont remember this in the morning either" he said quietly.
"I don't know. Maybe I will, maybe I wont. What I will remember is that you are going to be my friend no matter what"
"No matter what"
"No matter what"
There was a pause and then.
"And I don't know."
"Know what?"
"Know anything. I know I like Anna, I know that Anna likes me, but I know it's not the great love story and I know she feels the same"
Harrison turned to look at him and then.
"Is that why she's not here?"
"She's not here because she's in Paris the bitch but we talked…a lot. And the whole going to the hotel thing is not happening anymore. She wants things, she beautiful and confident and she wants things that I don't. She wants to go to medical school, she wants to be a Doctor, she knows that's gonna take a lot out of her. She knows that she has to put herself first. She's unapologetic for that and I don't blame her. That doesn't leave a lot of time for me and I get that too. I have parents who have put their careers first. Kind of makes you think about having children yourself you know"
There was a pause as Harrison took that in and then.
"Oh"
"Yeah. Look I don't know. We've not said it but we might be better off as friends. And I don't know how I feel. I don't know…do you think you can like both?"
"Men and woman?"
"Yeah"
"Yeah of course you can" Harrison said turning so that he was resting his head against the wall looking at him side on. "You can. Of course you can."
Jake nodded and then he turned too gulping down his champagne.
"I don't want to screw you up" he said through numb lips.
"Hon you are the last person in the world who is going to screw me up" Harrison said softly. "You could never be the one who screwed me up"
"Even if I don't—"
"Even then"
He didn't know if it was the champagne that was talking or if it was something else. Everything had been such a confusing mess recently. He didn't know what else to say.
Instead he shifted forwards and he kissed his best friend.
Harrison opened his mouth instantly and he kissed back his hands coming out to curl around his neck. Jake didn't know what he was doing, Anna and he had kissed but it was decidedly different than kissing Harrison he thought. For a second the two of them kissed before they had to pull away. Laughter echoed down the hallway and they both fell silent listening to weather or not they would be rumbled.
They weren't but it was a close thing.
There was a pause and then.
"Open the other bottle" Harrison said finally.
"You sure."
"About you. Yeah" he said grinning.
Harrison pouted and then he kissed him again and Jake melted like sugar boiling to make caramel.
"What does this mean?" he asked as he pulled back.
"I don't know" Harrison said quietly. "But I know right here and right now I don't care."
There was a pause as Jake thought about that and then.
"Open the second bottle"
And so they did.
When they were found four hours later they had both migrated to the couch and were asleep. Josh who had found them his eyes blurry and Donna giggling on his arm thought nothing of it. Donna who was infinitely smarter than them said nothing too though if her brain was slightly less champagne induced she might have put two and two together.
Nobody noticed until the Stewards came around after the party. Everyone's office was locked and everyone was in various states of drunken sleep and it was only Abby and Jed Barlett who snuck down at half six to see it all that felt like they were Mom and Dad who had come back early to see the teenagers in the aftermath of their party.
Don't worry.
They went back to bed too.
Next Chapter-There is a shooting at the White House. In the aftermath Jake realises somethings. Anna is kind of already there.