Hi, so here is the sequel to Perhaps Love! I am so excited to get this out and finish Season 5-7.
So...the usual. This will not be episode specific, certain episodes will be skipped. Dialogue will not be the same. If that's something you look for in a story then please don't start because you won't get it here.
Also in my West Wing Universe Sam doesn't leave and Ainsley joins full time. Will is in the story...so far...Mandy is not and never will be. Andy had Toby's babies via embryo's not by sex. Also Jake is bisexual.
Pairings are CJ/Toby (eventually) Josh/Donna, Sam/Ainsley, Jed/Abby.
Disclaimer-Nothing but Jacob is mine.
It is advised that you read Perhaps Love before you read this.
And this is 28 chapters long.
And there will always be swearing in this story. If this offends you then please don't read.
Also I do not do Private Messaging anymore, any questions stick them in a review and I will get back to you next chapter note.
And look...I don't like Amy. I don't like her. Nothing against the actress but as a feminist, pro choice woman (and damn proud of it) she was so annoying. In Season 5 I skip her scenes because she doesn't get it. No disrespect to anyone who likes her but she was wrong for Josh and wrong for the show. Sorry, not sorry. That's just my opinion, you are of course completely entitled to yours.
Future Perfect
Sequel to Perhaps Love-Seasons 5-7 of the West Wing, Follow CJ, Toby, Jake and the rest of the West Wing as they struggle to deliver President Bartlett's agenda among the turbulent changing world.
Chapter 1-A Moon For The Misbegotten.
In which we start up where we left off the day after Zoe Bartlett's kidnapping. And tempers are starting to fray.
There was a two pronged reason she wanted Jake to stay in the West Wing.
One was because she was sure that he would be mobbed by press. Even the ones that feared her would mob him and the second one was that quite simply…she didn't want to let him out of her sight. She was suddenly more aware than ever before that her son was now a target. Even with a dead Secret Service agent dead at CJ's feet she had never considered Jake as a target. Even with the threats.
Now that was looking like a very, very stupid thing to have not calculated.
Jake for the most part didn't say anything. When the story of the assassination broke he raised one eyebrow sitting in the bullpen with the rest of them. Harrison turned up a little after ten in the morning with four coffees and four different changes of clothes and CJ wondered for the one second she allowed herself to worry about the irrelevant things, just how Harrison had gotten keys to her and Toby's apartment before she was nipping into the staff showers and scrubbing her skin until it bled.
When she came out slightly more human it was to see her son resting his head on his hands. Harrison was perched on the desk watching him and there was something in the way that they were looking at each other that made her pause. She didn't know what it was but suddenly she had a thought that maybe…
"You okay?"
There was a pause as she stared at her son for a second and then Sam was blocking her view.
"CJ?"
"Sorry" she said shaking her head. "I was just…you know…"
"I know" Sam said though he couldn't possibly know. "I sent Ainsley home she was exhausted. Actually…I need to go myself"
"Where?"
"Well…we…we were going for a scan but—"
"Go" Toby said coming into the conference room. "The first one is important" "
We had the first one two moths ago, this determine sex"
"Well that's very important too"
Sam smiled but he looked tired. CJ understood the feeling but he patted her on the arm and then left.
"Josh wants to start polling"
"He can't"
"I know"
"Toby—"
"I know CJ. But he's gotten it into his head that the Republicans are going to legislature—"
"Oh please. Walkden isn't going to do that in National Crisis. Hafley mainly but Walkden?"
"Doesn't matter…he's put the fear of God into Leo now and I think Leo's gone to see Angela Blake. And it's not the worst thing in the world to consider looking at what this is gonna look like after it's over"
"Why is Josh even thinking—"
"Because fucking Amy's put it into his head. She's gone to defcon four with this and took Josh with her. She sees Republican's in the building and she's automatically assuming woman's rights are at risk. And I get it I do and it's not like it's a illegitimate concern but right now I don't think she gets her role is to support Abby. She's not been up there once to see her and spent all her time on the phone with her cronies out of the Woman's Defence League. I don't know what the hell they are planning but it's not gonna be good"
CJ sighed. Amy had told her she didn't have a maternal bone in her body and hey that was fine! CJ was not going to judge Amy for that but her aversion to seeing the naked anguish on Abby's face was not because she could envision her child in Zoe's place—which was all that CJ could do. It was because she couldn't get Abby to engage in the work of saving woman. And that was the wrong attitude for Chief of Staff. Personally CJ—who liked Amy very much—thought that she had taken the job for the wrong reason. Namely Josh. Who in her opinion was never going to make Amy happy.
But hey…what did she know about such things.
"Have you thought about—"
Toby looked at the door to make sure it was shut.
"Leo's got me and Sam and Will writing two speeches."
"Two?"
"One if they find her alive one if they don't"
The simplicity of the words hit her like a punch to the solar plexus and she staggered backwards a little gripping the back of the chair.
"Oh God"
"Yeah"
"Are you…"
"I had to try I just…Will worked on some ideas and…Sam begged off said he couldn't do it so I let him and then I just…I mean I look at Jake and the twins and I can't get the words out of my pen. I don't know how I am going to give him a speech that talks about his daughters mangled body or…" he shook his head and she took his hand and he gripped it with a strength that she didn't want to think about and she looked out at her son and Harrison chatting to each other as Toby got himself under control.
Carefully she did not think of Zoe Bartlett.
"Toby?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think…I mean….do you think…"
"MOM!"
They were both out the room before Jake could even tell them that Qumar had bombed a cinema filled with American soldiers and that Middle Eastern press had a video of a drugged out, but very much alive Zoe Bartlett.
That night as his father worked on the speech and his Mom locked herself in the office working on a justification of a massive breaking of international criminal law by the Big Bad America Jake found himself back where it had all started in that little room where unbeknownst to him his mother and Donna and Abby Bartlett and Amy had gotten drunk. Harrison dropped down next to him and then without even looking at him he leaned forwards and let Jake rest in his arms eyes closed and gently he ran a hand through his hair.
"I am so bone dead tired" Jake said into the empty room. "I feel it in my teeth…and I am not the one who has lost anything."
Harrison laughed a little brushing back his hair.
"I know"
"I don't…I mean…assassinating someone I just…when did that happen?"
"I don't know. I just…do you think they know they've given a pretext for every nutter to come after us now. Not to mention ever conspiracy theorist. If Jed Bartlett can order the assassination of Abdul Sharrif then surely the Republicans can knock of JFK"
"Oh fuck" Jake said grinning looking up at him and then because he could and this was new and this was delightful.
"I am glad you're here. You didn't have to come"
"You know I did"
There was a moment and then Harrison grinned and the two of them were kissing. Jake curled up on his lap as Harrison's hands travelled down his back to his ass gently resting there and Jake smirked. He didn't have a fucking clue what he was doing but he knew that it felt good and he had to concede that it was probably not appropriate for them to be making out in the middle of the White House that was in a national crisis.
"Hey—oh bloody hell!" came a voice and Jake scrambled backwards off Harrisons lap half falling to the floor looking around in panic.
Thank God it was not his mother, or his father.
It was Amy. For a second she stared at the two of them and then she shut the door pressing her back against it staring at them both wide eyed.
"Your gay?"
"I…I don't…" Jake looked at Harrison blind panic setting in.
"He doesn't have to label if he doesn't want to" Harrison said standing up. "I am gay however. Not that it's any of your business either way"
"When you bring it into this house it is my business" Amy snapped. "Do the two of you get that half of the Republican party are here? Do the two of you get that they can make your parents life hell? Do the two of you get that the world is ending out there? We don't have time for this shit!"
"Amy what I do doesn't concern anyone—"
"Oh boy you are not that naïve"
"Oh fuck you"
Amy raised one eyebrow. "Clearly darling I aint your type. Look…I don't care who you do what with or what sex they are. But for Gods sake there is a time and a place. I know your teenagers but seriously…and tell your parents Jake. Your one of the few people who doesn't have to worry about that—and do it before the press does"
Jake opened his mouth and to be honest with you looking back he had no idea what he was going to tell her—no doubt it was going to be to fuck off but he didn't get a chance before there was a skidding of feet and Donna was in the room her blonde hair swinging from side to side and her face animated.
"They just found her. Zoe…she's alive!"
And that put the whole thing out of everyone's mind.
"It's a good speech he gave"
"I know" she said turning around to see her son standing there.
"I know it's not easy to come back to this—"
"Honey whatever Josh is telling you I didn't leave this."
Jake nodded and then he scrubbed a hand over his face.
"I gotta tell you something you know?"
"Okay…is it urgent"
"No"
"Can it wait?"
"Yeah" he said after a pause that she did not totally understand until much, much later in the game.
"Good. I don't want to be rude Jake but I have had enough surprises for a lifetime. Unless your news is life altering then please…make it wait"
Her son stared at her for a long moment and CJ suddenly lamented in a way she had never done so before the death of her baby boy. The sweet boy he had been was gone and now in place there was a man. A good man, a kind and gentle man perhaps but a man nonetheless and the baby that he had been had matured.
"I'm gonna go with Dad and see the twins. Why don't you come with?"
"No" she said quietly. She would meet the twins in her own good time and she would pass along her genuine congratulations to Andy but right now everything was still raw, babies, Toby…all of it.
"I will see them soon I just…I need a shower and sleep. I told Leo not to call…Carole can handle the briefings I just…I need to sleep"
She didn't even know if she was going to be able to do that but Jake gave her a small wave and wondered off.
She drove home in a bit of a daze getting back to her apartment. She poured herself a glass of red wine and stood under the shower washing off properly three days of shit and mess and grief and pain and panic and when she came out she drank some more.
For all the world she wanted to slip beneath the covers and never get up again but she knew that she couldn't. Somehow, something tonight had shaken her to her core and she didn't know what. All she knew was that the world would not be the same once she woke up. Zoe's kidnapping had disrupted something in the grand design. Her son had become a man. And the man she loved still had babies with someone else. CJ could admit it to herself now. She was totally disillusioned and she had no idea how to get it back. And she was disappointed in the two men she considered fathers who had praised international law and then violated it without a second thought.
She put the glass of wine down and crawled under the covers and acknowledged before her body shut down her mind for her…that tonight, she and perhaps even every American, had a lot to forgive.
And so there you go, hope you enjoyed.
Next Chapter-In which CJ and Toby try to rebuild their lives as does everyone else after the kidnapping. Amy sticks her foot in it massively by starting fires and fights including a stupid one with CJ that has life altering consequences.