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.

Also I know that we are heading towards the end of Season 5 and into Israel/Gaza. I ask that you please keep your comments respectful as I will try and be respectful also. That story takes place in the West Wing Universe and has no reflection on today's life.

Not a massive fan of Kate either, she gets better in Season 6-7 but I really don't like her in Season 5 early Season 6. Personally I think she plays too big a role in the Jed/Leo breakdown.

Also I really hated how Jed just kind of moved on from Leo and the heart attack. I really did think the character behaved badly and was never called to account on it. Not really in my opinion anyway.

And we have less than ten chapters to go now!

I don't plan on going much into S7 for obvious reasons so Season 6 will be the most covered one in this story.

Future Perfect

Chapter 18-Out With A Whimper

CJ starts her new role as Chief of Staff and Jake's life changes dramatically. Which would be okay but he's not really coping that much as it is. Trigger Warnings for mentions of PTSD in the next chapter

He was awoken by someone banging on the door and he stayed there hands shaking in the dark as footsteps echoed around his house. He was shaking he realised. Absolutely shaking at the thought of it.

He had been back two days.

And in two days his mother had gone from the Press Secretary to the President of the Untied States to the most powerful woman in the country.

It was a little jarring.

Suddenly there were things that he had to consider. Security, panic alarms and now this. People trampling all over his home while he cowered in the dark and pretended that it didn't feel like a bomb had gone off when the doors shut.

And to make matters worse he had told the President that he was okay with this.

What he had really wanted to do…especially now was tell him to fuck off. Because Jake had really not thought this through.

Why would he? Leo made it look easy…well…up until the heart attack. And Mallory was an adult.

Fuck.

The door to his room opened and he closed his eyes heart hammering.

"Jake?"

Fuck. No.

"Jake?"

"What?" he said trying to move. His leg was out of the cast but his knee was in agony and his Mom flipped on the lights.

"I need you to get up we need to go"

"Mom my leg is in bits as is my arm. Getting up is not a thing right now"

"I know that's why agents are here to help"

"What fucking agents?"

"Mr Cregg-Zeilger?"

And now there were strange men in his room. And not good looking ones either. Granted he knew not ever Secret Service agent could be a Tom Cruise look alike but you'd think someone would have thrown him a favour.

He pulled his covers up and shot one of them a look.

"MOM!"

"Mr Cregg-Zeilger this is Agent Hanaway and Agent Danielson."

"How do you do?"

"They are your Secret Service agents"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Secret Service agents, your Mom has four"

"Sorry can we go back to me having them please?"

"Yes so Agents Hanaway and Danielson are going to be with you twenty four seven—"

"LIKE HELL THEY ARE MOM!"

"And we need to talk about what were going to do in the event of a nuclear fallout—"

"Sorry what?"

"I'm standing in a field of cows"

"MOM WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

His mother came back into the room at a run.

"Sorry darling I forgot to…there's been so much I…Secret Service is not a thing you can go—"

"We really can't"

"You really fucking can"

"JAKE"

"Ah Ma'am we've heard worse"

"Dude I don't even know you so unless you wanna see my cock as I get changed—"

"Son I was in the Navy—"

"ENOUGH"

Everyone stopped to look at CJ. Jake breathed in and out. He had a feeling he was on the verge of a panic attack, he thought he could see the flash of something in the edge of his vision and he looked around. Agent Hanaway sighed as if he was seeing something that he knew Jake could not and touched his arm gently. Jake felt his eyes snap back to his and he swallowed.

"Mom—"

"Secret Service is non-negotiable" Agent Hanaway said gently looking at him. "But were not gonna rush into this, your Mom is going to work and you me and Agent Danielson are going to get to know each other. In terms of nuclear fallout that's not something you have to worry about but were gonna show you the plans just in case. None of what happens today you have to worry about right now okay?"

Jake closed his eyes and tried to breathe?

"Jake?"

"Fine" he gritted his teeth and shuddered. "Mom you should go…the President—"

"I should"

And then with a kiss to the side of his head and a call me shout she was gone. There was a muttering by the door and then Agent Hanaway said slowly.

"Jake It's just you and me, you can open your eyes now"

Jake breathed and then opened his eyes to find Agent Hanaway had opened the curtains. Now that he could see he thought that the older man wasn't the worst looking he had ever seen. He had curly dirty blonde hair and a strong jawline and he was actually young, more than likely around thirty five ish. Jake stared at him and then.

"Okay" Agent Hanaway said slowly. "First things first you can call be Zane okay? And Agent Danielson is Robert. Don't call him Robbie and don't call him Bobby because only his wife can do either but that's just how he is."

"Where is he?"

"In the kitchen making a routine sweep."

"Oh fuck me—"

Zane chuckled. "Son it's fine, we don't need to be here at night so there's that, one of the agents will be with you if you go out when we clock off. There's a third if one of us is off but I'll speak to Ron and get it to be someone you know. We've been working on this rapidly, we didn't know there was gonna be a change until last night so everyone is playing catch up us included. Ron nearly went white at the thought of it. Good news is we're pretty much adapted to your Mom and Dad's routine so we could make this work. Secondly we just need to talk through some stuff, get to know each other."

There was a pause where he stared at him and then he swallowed and sat up breathing heavily.

"I'm fine" he said to Zane.

"Okay"

"Okay?"

"I don't know what you want me to say" he said finally. There was another pause where the two of them looked at each other and then Zane nodded.

He didn't say anything else.

To be honest he didn't need to.

Jake was fine.

Jake was fine.

He was fine.

CJ was dealing with the uranium and Toby was busy staring at the sheet of paper in front of him. It was ironic that Jake got protection in a nuclear fallout but he did not.

That was how he liked it Toby thought cynically. To be honest if some loon dropped the bomb he wanted to be out in the first wave without really knowing what had happened.

He sighed and put down the paperwork. He was still not sure how he thought about this.

CJ had wanted to do the job, he knew that she wanted to do the job, knew that she wanted it with a passion. CJ worked for a living she always had, Toby was still not sure she realised that there was a clock on the job for this thing. That the President was not going to get another four more years and that soon she was going to have to make a decision about weather she was going to support the next guy whoever that may be.

(And he knew Will thought that it was Russell…he knew that Will thought that but he also knew Josh and he knew that while there was a breath in Josh's body and members of the Democratic Party he knew that Josh would do his best to find someone to run against Russell—not that it would do any good)

But back to the point, he did not know if CJ knew that the clock was running out. Toby had been thinking off it more and more when that kid Ryan had pointed out that this was his penultimate State of the Union. One more to go.

Fuck…one more to go.

And then that had sent the mind spiralling. Because what was he going to do? What could he do to stop the insanity that was this job…what job was ever going to come after this?

Maybe he would write?

Toby sighed and then turned back to the paperwork when there was a knock on the door.

Margaret.

"Hey"

"I don't want to talk about the press"

"I don't want to talk to you about the press" Margaret said looking stung, "CJ wants to see you"

"And she couldn't call?"

"She's not…she can barely figure out where the desk is just come please. She went to see Leo at lunch then she had some kind of fired up personality thing and I don't know but I miss Leo"

She looked away and then looked back and Toby frowned. Out of everyone who had the right to know what had gone down with Leo and the President Margaret was the one who did not need to know. Somehow he didn't want to explain how half of their fall agenda was struck down and how half of the Republicans fell through.

He sighed and got to his feet and found CJ in the office looking tired.

"Did you get a chance to look at Jake's detail?"

"Yeah, I also spoke to him today"

"Oh?"

"You didn't tell him that he was going to have secret service protection?"

CJ looked at him.

"I didn't know I was. I didn't…he was fine with it though"

"CJ grown men invaded his bedroom this morning no less than a week after he was nearly killed. No he was not alright with it."

"Has he said something?"

"No. But he sounds freaked out and before you say that will go away as time goes on he doesn't have time to be freaked, he can barely get dressed…school starts soon and I don't want him running off to New Hampshire because he doesn't think he can trust us again"

CJ looked at him for a second and then.

"I didn't have time to talk to him about the job"

"He's not stupid he knows what the job is about" he says sitting down. "CJ you didn't talk to me about it, or Josh, did you ever think that maybe he might think this was his? He's been Leo's right hand for six years did you think that maybe he wanted more than being your right hand?"

CJ looked at him for a second and then she shifted her files.

"I can't afford to think like that"

"Okay…then why don't we talk about something else?"

"Like what? And don't say Jake I can't…I can't think about Jake right know Toby I know it sounds cruel but—"

"You kissed me before this thing kicked off"

"Oh please"

"You grabbed me and kissed me and now it gives me idea's"

"Of what?"

"Of kissing the most powerful woman in Washington"

For a second she was stunned into silence and he could see it. It was true too and she knew that, CJ could always read him like a book and she could read him now. For a second she stared at him and then she smiled at the look on his face.

"Don't…right now I might take you up on it"

Toby smiled and then.

"CJ you need to get Margaret to pencil you out an hour…we need to talk about Jake and we need to talk to Jake. With respect you've upended his life at a time he needed stability. And we've got to talk about this"

But her phone was ringing and Margaret was stamping her foot (gently) at the door for her to hurry and she nodded running off and Toby was not sure that she had even heard him.

One thing he knew for sure.

He knew that his son was not okay.

"This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out.

"A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

"Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on

"Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'"

Leo McGarry as said to Josh Lyman…soon to be said to Jake Cregg-Zeigler.

But more on that next time.

And there you go, enjoy.

Next Chapter-In which Jake's PTSD isn't getting better even though he, Donna and Leo are all back in the White House. There is a trip to China on the horizon and CJ is still struggling to make the work life balance work.