Title: Baby, It’s Cold Outside.

Pairing: CJ/Hoynes

Rating: PG for suggestive

Spoilers: Nothing specific but everything up to Lift Off to be on the safe side.

Author’s Notes: The three Fics I’m writing for Christmas all come with song titles, which is what you get when you play them continuously in your car.

And who else would you want to be alone in a room with on New Years Eve?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her baby blue convertible was barely visible as CJ stood on the side walk and shivered. The snow that had been falling in flurries all afternoon has suddenly started to pelt, the roads freezing over, as she left the White House and headed across town to the party. When she skidded, she had been momentarily thankful that it was onto the pavement and into a ditch, rather than a lamp post or off a bridge into the Potomac. Now as she watched the snow soak through the roof of her car, she wasn’t so thankful. Her phone it seemed was destined to add to the misery of the night, the blank screen the only indicator of a flat battery on the one night she had ditched her service detail.

With a groan she walked towards the Watergate complex in the hope of calling someone to tow the car and a cab to take her home.

The receptionist looked at her glumly as CJ explained what she needed. “Due to the government furlong the snow ploughs are in short supply, could be hours before you get a cab.”

It wasn’t really what CJ wanted to hear but then the wrangling over essential and non-essential services had been going on all through the holidays and the fact she was about to suffer because of it was no real surprise. “Great.” CJ sighed. “Can I call triple A?”

The young woman pushed the phone towards her and continued to file her nails.

Five minutes later, CJ hung up the phone, her mood worsening in the knowledge that neither she nor her car were going anywhere. She was about to make the final call she needed to make when she heard the elevator open.

John Hoynes walked out of the lift and came to a halt, his eyes wandered over the woman before him. There was no mistaking her, her height was the first give away, the auburn hair the second. Seeing her, even as often as he did, couldn’t lessen the memory of what was beneath the ankle length coat. “Is everything ok?” he asked, hoping that she would at least acknowledge him.

CJ groaned. Not only was she stuck in a hotel lobby, without any form of transport, but now it seemed she was to be tortured further. “I’m fine,” she replied, turning to look at him.

“Where are your detail?” He watched something flicker across her face. “You ditched them. And of course with the weather they’re gonna have problems getting out to you.” Sometimes he wondered about the Bartlet Administration, although considering the weather it seemed unlikely that anyone would come looking to kidnap the Chief of Staff tonight, especially in the empty lobby of a hotel.

“It’s really not your problem,” she emphasized, disgusted by the look of longing on the receptionist’s face.

“Come up to my suite.” John hadn’t meant it to sound quite so suggestive, but then he had been told on more than one occasion that he flirted with everyone.

“No chance.” CJ had no compulsion to make that little faux pas again. She could remember what happened last time. Although when she thought about it from time to time there were parts of that evening that weren’t totally awful. Tonight she wasn’t drunk, thanks in no small part to Hutchinson and his sudden need to brief her on force deployment in the Middle East, and with age came wisdom.

“Yeah, because spending the night in a hotel lobby is safe? You don’t think the President is going to have forty fits?” he asked, his voice hushed as he moved closer. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene in front of the receptionist or leave CJ vulnerable. “You can lock yourself in my spare room if it makes things easier.”

“We have suites available,” the young brunette announced, catching snipets of their conversation and feeling slightly jealous.

CJ smiled, thankfully. “How much?”

“Two thousand dollars.”

She hadn’t planned on putting down a down payment on an apartment and somehow she didn’t see the White House covering her costs. “You have coffee, right?” she asked Hoynes, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

“Yeah,” he waved a hand in the direction of the elevator and she stalked off, walking into the compartment and tucking herself in the corner.

They rode up to the tenth floor in silence, John trying and failing to disguise his amusement at the turn of events.

The first thing CJ noticed about the suite was that it lacked a lived-in feel. In fact it reminded her of the numerous hotel rooms she had been subjected to since joining the Bartlet Circus. The furniture looked new and not at all what she would have anticipated to be his taste. The only personal effects seemed to be odd Christmas cards and scattered papers over the dining table.

“Nice place,” she offered casually.

“A little smaller than I’m used to,” he said with a wry smile. “Although I don’t have to worry about pretty girls sneaking out in the middle of the night.” His voice was doing that thing again, although most women didn’t seem to mind it.

“I should go,” CJ said awkwardly, moving towards the door.

“CJ, this is crazy. It’s minus twenty out there. You go out there and fall in a hole and they won’t find you until Spring.”

She glared back at him. “You planned this.”

John gave her what he hoped was his most innocent look. “Yeah, cause I can make it snow.” He reached for her, covering her hands with his own. “Your hands are freezing.”

CJ tried to pull them away but he held on to them tightly, rubbing them between his palms.

“Haven’t you got gloves?”

“Are you trying to grow tomatoes in here?” she asked, embarrassed and suddenly aware of the heat, and not just in the living room.

“What can I say? I feel the cold.”

CJ took a deep breath. She was suddenly regretting her choice of outfit. Beneath the white wool coat she was wearing the smallest of little green dresses and knee high boots. Outside the coat had kept her warm as she trudged the few blocks through the snow. Her friends had told her to dress to party, hence the totally impractical heels and strappy dress, but now in Hoynes’ room she felt a little under-dressed.

“You could take your coat off,” he suggested from the kitchen, pouring himself a ginger ale and taking the liberty of opening a bottle of wine for her. He reached up and turned up the dial on the thermostat. Just because he should be a gentleman didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have a little fun too, he had decided as he watched CJ try and arrange her coat over her legs.

“I’ll be fine.”

John shrugged. There was no point arguing with her when she was like this, he knew from experience. Walking back into the living area he handed her a glass, and settled himself on a chair.

“Is this alright?” CJ asked a little concerned as she stared at the glass of red liquid.

“Yeah. Wine‘s never been my thing.” He indicated his own glass. “The phone’s over there.”

“Thanks.” She picked up the phone and dialled the White House. After a few seconds she was connected and Abbey’s voice came on the line. “Yeah, I’m ok. The car not so much. Where am I? The Watergate. No, not like that. I’m in. . . ,” she paused. “John Hoynes suite.” CJ groaned and turned to face the wall. “Yeah, you might wanna tell him later. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.“ Her cheeks continued to turn a pink hue. “Thanks, Abbey.”

“Everything ok?” John asked, casually, aware of her obvious embarrassment.

“Apparently the situation is a source of great amusement,” she waved her hands. “At least you’re not a Republican, although I‘m not sure the President or Toby are going to find it quite so funny.” CJ sipped her wine as she tried to push Abbey’s final comment out of her mind and stop wondering whether there actually was a foil package in her purse.

“Yeah, I can think of worse people to be spending New Year with.” John could think of many people he’d hate to spend the night with, most of them in Texas, where his wife was attending a party for the cattle ranchers association. He had found on numerous occasions over the years that running for office could get you out of any event you hated, even when you needed to fundraise.

“You do realize if this gets out, the press are gonna be sifting through it for weeks.” It never ceased to amaze her how her brain could switch back into work mode without pause.

“I wasn’t planning to take out an ad in the Washington Post,” he retorted. There was something about being in a room with CJ that always brought out the worst in him

“All it takes is your little cheer leader dropping to a reporter that I was here and there will be plenty implied.”

“And you going outside, catching pneumonia and dying isn’t going to create a scandal?” He took a deep breath and trying to keep his emotions in check.

CJ detected a hint of concern beneath his annoyance, and she smiled. It had been a long time since anyone other than her friends had shown her concern, the fact that it was John Hoynes didn’t lessen the warm glow it gave her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had managed not to argue for at least five minutes, actually having a civil conversation about their holidays and how Leo and Donna were.

The room was like a sauna, CJ decided, and even without throwing a little water on the fire it kept getting warmer.

Finally, CJ shrugged out of the coat and crossed her legs, hoping her skirt was long enough to at least cover her modesty.

John’s eyes drifted over the outfit, his interest peeking at the expanse of flesh she was flashing his way.

“Forget it,” she snapped, pulling at her hem.

He held his hands up in surrender. “You could borrow something to wear if you‘d be more comfortable.”

“Your white dress shirt, maybe?” CJ hadn’t meant to sound quite so flirty but his being nice to her was making her re-evaluate her opinion of him.

The mere image of CJ naked bar his shirt wandering around his apartment left him speechless.

“Maybe a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.” She had achieved her objective she knew as he suddenly shifted position on the chair.

John cleared his throat. “And if you need to stay here the night, the spare room is over there and it has it’s own bathroom.”

“Does it lock?” CJ knew she sounded ungrateful but it came out anyway. She knew she wouldn’t lock the door because despite everyone’s opinion of him, John would never force her into anything.

“You’ll be quite safe. I’ll get you the clothes. Help yourself to anything you want.” He disappeared into the bedroom.

CJ poured herself another glass of wine and followed him. “Thank you for this.” She brushed her hair from her face and smiled.

“I couldn’t let you freeze.” Handing her a pair of sweats and a T-shirt he closed the bedroom door behind him. In truth he had never planned on seducing CJ the night of the dinner, it had just happened, but it definately had not been a night to regret, maybe one to repeat although that opportunity had never arisen. Ironically they were fated to spend another night together but he was pretty sure that a repeat performance was unlikely, more the pity.

Removing his sweater, he walked to the stereo and selected a CD. If they were going to spend the next few hours alternating between arguing and silence, he might as well add a little background music, he thought.

“You’re not going to watch the ball drop?” CJ asked, catching the first few bars of jazz song she recognized.

John turned round and smiled when he saw her. His clothes fit her lanky frame perfectly and she looked so at home, leaning against the door frame.

“It’s just another year,” he said sadly as he watched her cross the room and drop into the chair. It hadn’t really been a good year for either of them, and if her boss had his way the next wouldn’t be much better.

They lapsed into a companion silence, both listening to the music, her feet tucked up beneath her as he stretched out on the couch.

The bleeping of her cell broke through the silence of the room. Pulling the phone out of her purse and reading the display she grinned. “Toby’s having a worse night than either of us. He’s stuck playing chess with the President.”

“I’m not having such a bad night. Would you like another drink?” John asked, glancing at his watch and changing the subject rapidly.

“Trying to get me drunk?” She held her glass out anyway, suddenly not so unhappy with how her evening had turned out.

“Yeah, first I made it snow, now I’m getting you drunk, all so you’ll sleep with me. No, CJ, I thought you might like a glass of something to see the New Year in.”

“Thank you.” She hadn’t noticed the time but then she hadn’t been clock watching, instead despite everything letting herself relax.

When John returned to the room, CJ had moved to the window. She was staring out across the Potomac, a wistful look in her eyes. “You forgot one thing,” CJ said softly.

“I did?” he asked, confused by the question and the change in her demeanour.

“Mistletoe,” she offered, turning from the window to look at him.

“I didn’t think I would need it, it being New Year and all.” John placed the two glasses on the side table as he stepped closer.

CJ gave him a smile. “You really did have it all planned. So what happens next?”

“What do you want to happen next?” Despite the heat he had shivers down his spine.

“Happy New Year, John.”

“Happy New Year, CJ.” He leaned forward, pausing in expectation of the inevitable slap. When it didn’t come he kissed her firmly on the lips.

“I seem to remember it being better than that,” she slurred, leaning into him.

He didn’t need telling twice. Tangling his hand in her hair he kissed her again, his tongue gently probing her mouth.

The snow continued to fall outside the window, covering the city in a fine dusting of white. Inside the room his hand found the bare skin on her back and the temperature went up another few degrees.

When he finally pulled back, his hand still on her back, CJ was finding it hard to stand. “This evening has been. . .”

“Strange?” she finished.

“Enjoyable,” he countered.

“Yeah, it has,” she agreed, stepping from his grasp. “I should get some sleep.” The drink on top of her empty stomach was having a strange effect on her, so much so that she was frightened of how the night might end.

She paused when she reached her bedroom door. “Good night, John.”

“Night, CJ.”

CJ closed the bedroom door and leaned against it. Despite all the feelings she had for Hoynes she couldn’t help but remember what he was like in bed - his hands, his mouth and the way his eyes gazed down into hers as they made love. As she stood there, the images coursing through her mind, she wondered where the thermostat was. Maybe, just maybe, if the heating failed, and he was the gentleman she thought he was, it wouldn’t just have to be a memory. Of course it was crazy and she’d blame it on being drunk but planning to seduce John Hoynes wasn’t the worse New Year’s resolution she had ever made.

The End