Title: Love Doesn't Have To Hurt
Pairing: Leo/CJ
Rating: PG
Summary: Love doesn't have to hurt to feel good. It's such a
revelation.
Spoilers: Up to season four to be safe

Author's Notes: I started this before seeing season four, August
sometime, but real life, crisis of confidence and the fact I couldn't
write made sure I didn't finish it sooner. It may be kinda AU now but
I hope you like anyway.

*~*~*~*
Love Doesn't Have To Hurt

CJ sat in her office, staring out of the window. In two days they
were heading to Ohio for a campaign stop then back for a fundraising
dinner. It seemed that the summer had been eaten up by the campaign,
which in many respects wasn't such a bad thing.

She sighed as she thought back to May and Simon's death. It seemed
such a long time ago. After his death she had thought a lot about
what could have been. He was tall, good looking and funny. The kiss,
their only kiss, had left her wanting more. He was dead, she was
alone and his little brother hated her.

Someone really needed to explain to her why she wasn't allowed to
love somebody, and why they couldn't love her back. All she wanted
was a relationship, but obviously there was something wrong with her.

The guys she'd dated in college had been experiments, a way of
finding her feet, so to speak, and she knew that it wasn't about
love. The first guy she thought was love was Matt. He was a lawyer, a
high flier. Everything was going really well until she drove his
Porsche into a pond. He dumped her the same day. Obviously, he loved
his car more than her. Come to think of it, maybe she'd loved his car
more than its owner.

Then there was Toby. They'd met when she was in her twenties and
she'd been drawn to him, or at least to his mind and the fact he
treated her like his equal. It lasted three months before he left her
to be a political operative on the other side of the country. After
Rosslyn she'd thought they might try again, but he'd given her the
line about them being too good as friends and that it wouldn't work.
There wouldn't be a third time now that he was back pinning for
Andrea.

In the midst the serious contenders there were the jerks like Tad,
which made her wonder what kind of taste she had. Danny had been
another impossible choice. There was something in the puppy dog way
he followed her about that led to her developing a little crush on
him. The fact that he was a White House correspondent dictated that
it wouldn't go anywhere. The grabbing and kissing, and okay, she'd
admit it, the goldfish, had been enough for a while, but like
everything else in her life, destined to end. Finally, when they were
given the chance to give a relationship serious consideration, he
wouldn't take the job. Which pretty much told her she wasn't enough
for him.

To complete the list of failures there was Simon.

What the hell was wrong with her? Maybe there wasn't such a thing as
love, at least not for her. She was forty, past the white dress and
handful of kids stage. Of course she looked good, 5' 11'', a
designers dream and she worked out regularly. Perhaps it was the fact
she was smart that made them fearful, twenty-two years in school and
guys found her threatening. Was it really too much to ask to meet a
guy, fall in love and not get hurt?

She sighed and glanced at her watch. It was time to brief again. At
least that was something she could do.

******

The staff meeting was winding down. Josh and Sam were sliding further
and further into their seats as the President discussed the merits of
the EU accepting Eastern European applications for membership. Toby
for his part was scribbling frantically on his legal pad.

"Okay. Is there anything else?" Leo asked, as the President paused
for breath. "No? Good."

"There is one thing," Jed started, grinning. He had spent the last
few months watching his staff as they worked flat out to win the
democratic nomination and now they were gearing up for the election.
If anything, he had decided, they needed a little fun.

"Yes, Sir?"

"The dinner, this weekend."

Leo cringed in the knowledge of what was coming. The dinner was a
fundraising event hosted by one of their largest donors from the
first campaign. For some reason which he didn't quite understand he
was the only one going. "Yes, Sir. Saturday night."

"Do you have a date yet?" Jed asked, widening his grin and winking.
Of course Leo didn't have a date. He was like the perpetual schoolboy
with a crush. As much as he liked CJ, and Jed knew he did, he wasn't
likely to do anything about it unless she showed some sign that she
liked him back. Which is why Jed was going to interfere.

"No, Sir."

Jed shook his head and clicked his tongue. "What am I going to do
with you? CJ, you'll go with Leo, won't you?" he asked innocently.

CJ glanced up from her briefing book with a bewildered
expression. "Mr. President?"

"I need someone to make sure Leo doesn't make a faux pas. I don't
think I can stand another catalogue of errors. Remember Karen Cahill,
anyone?"

Josh and Sam glanced at each other and slid further into their seats.

"Leo?"

He threw his hands in the air. Jed was impossible when he got an idea
in his head and it was pointless arguing. "It's seven-thirty at The
Watergate. My driver will pick you up."

"I might have plans," CJ snarked, more than a little annoyed that
they all assumed she was at their beck and call.

"Do you?" five men asked in unison, their heads turning like
synchronized swimmers in her direction.

CJ rolled her eyes. "No. It seems when I joined the Administration I
took a vow of celibacy."

"Perfect, then you can go with Leo, he took one too," Jed stated,
rising from his seat and moving towards his desk. "And we're done."

******
The dinner had been a success. Not only had the food been edible, and
he'd actually had been able to eat it, but Leo also had pledges from
at least three major corporations. All in all, it wasn't the disaster
he had anticipated.

He now sat at a table, drinking coffee and watching the room. Most of
the guests had already left or were dancing. He was almost done
himself, waiting for CJ to return to the table before he headed home.
The main upside to the evening had been CJ, he had to admit, a whole
evening of her company without the spin boys causing a scene.

CJ was moving around the dance floor in the arms of an executive he
vaguely recognized from earlier. His hands seemed to wander at
various intervals only to be captured by CJ's hands and moved back to
their original location.

Leo chuckled into his coffee cup. The guy really didn't know what he
was dealing with. CJ Cregg wasn't known for doing anything she didn't
want to. He wondered how long it would be before her three inch heel
made contact with the guy's foot.

"You know you could have rescued me from the octopus," CJ snorted
sliding into the seat next to him and disturbing his reverie.

"You can handle yourself."

"Yeah, good old CJ, one of the boys," CJ sighed wearily.

Leo turned to look at her, his face registering his surprise at her
sudden change in mood. "That's not what I meant."

She waved him off and gave him a weak smile. "Sorry."

"Blame it on the campaign, everyone else does."

"Do you ever wonder if the sacrifices don't outweigh the gains?" CJ
asked wistfully.

"This election is the last one I'll ever campaign for. I may have
lost my marriage, but that may have been inevitable. In any case I'll
always be proud to have served this President."

CJ rolled her eyes and lowered her head to her hands. "Yeah, but is
it enough?" She took a deep breath and sat back up. "Sorry, you don't
need this. So, it was a good evening, wasn't it?"

"Yea, we did good."

"We really did, and I have the bruises to prove it," she grinned and
grabbed his coffee, taking a long sip of the warm liquid. "Yuck."

Leo waved at a passing waiter and asked for another pot of coffee.
Once the waiter had disappeared, he returned his attention to
CJ. "Anything else, Madam?"

Pursing her lips, she pretending to consider his question. "Yeah,
what do you have against Lord Marbury?"

"Lord Marbury?"

"He calls you Gerald, so there must be some history, but you act all
weird whenever he drops by," CJ explained.

"Ah," Leo grumbled. "He's incredibly smart, but he has major
character defects."

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Yeah, but his rub me up the wrong way," he admitted, rubbing his
temples. "I've known the man nearly thirty years and he hasn't
changed a bit."

"Should it concern me, then, that he wants to sleep with me?" CJ
asked, her eyes dancing with mischief.

"There aren't many guys who don't," Leo sighed, scrunching his face
when he realized he'd said that aloud. "I didn't mean it the way it
sounded."

CJ waved him off and poured herself a fresh cup of coffee from the
pot the waiter left on the table. "I've given up on the whole dating
thing. Too many gomers and when I do meet a nice guy I end up getting
hurt."

"Love doesn't have to hurt, CJ," he offered softly, hiding his face
behind his coffee cup.

"Well that's a revelation. A lot of bull, but a revelation all the
same."

"CJ?"

"I'm fine. You don't need to hear this," she sighed. "Changing the
subject a little. There's something that's been bothering me for a
while."

"That doesn't sound good."

Her hands gestured rapidly as she tried to phrase her question
tactfully. Finally she gave up and asked, "Why were you the one who
told me about the President's condition?"

Leo groaned inwardly. She had asked him the same thing that night in
the midst of her tears and outrage. He had told her in no uncertain
terms that HE was still the President and she should show some
respect. Which was the point CJ had walked out of his office,
slamming the door, almost lifting it from its hinges, behind her. "I
think I liked the previous topic better."

"Okay, then. Did he tell you to tell me or did you offer?" she
prompted.

"We discussed it and agreed that it should be me." It didn't seem
like a good time to tell her that the President had practically
ordered him to do it, because he couldn't bear to see her
disappointment.

She knew he was lying, but then she had a feeling despite their
sometimes complicated relationship, Leo spent a lot of time
protecting them all. He was very sweet like that, but then she wasn't
going there again, not with Leo, not with anyone.

"We should get going," Leo suggested.

"What? Bored with my company already?" she teased, draining her
coffee cup.

He could never get bored of her company. "Margaret keeps chastising
me for working my staff so hard."

"Sounds painful."

A grin broke across his face and he shook his head. "I'll take you
home."

She nodded and followed him out of the building to his waiting car.

They rode across town in silence, a comfortable, companionable
silence, that neither wanted to break. The car pulled up at her
apartment and the driver moved to the rear door to let CJ out.

"Do you want me to walk you up?" Leo asked.

CJ shook her head. "I'll see you tomorrow." She climbed out of the
car and disappeared into the building.

*****
******
"Where are the spin boys?" Leo asked, leaning against her door frame.

CJ stopped typing. "I don't know. They were here, babbling something
about getting out of cruise control on education, then they
disappeared."

"Probably watching the game."

"Was it important?" CJ asked, leaning back in her chair.

"I was looking for you. Just a little surprised to find you alone."

"I live for afternoons like this."

"Okay." He pondered whether to leave but couldn't resist asking, "So
I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me later?"

CJ stared at him briefly, her hands waving through the air. "Is there
a problem I need to know about?"

"Dinner, CJ. Not work. I enjoyed the other night, I thought we could
do it again." He felt like an idiot explaining himself. Even more so
because she didn't seem interested.

"Oh." He was asking her out. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's just dinner, CJ. No pressure."

She shook her head. The trouble with dinner is that it led to dancing
and then to more. It was the more when it generally went wrong. She
liked Leo, he was funny, attractive and had been nothing less than a
gentleman in all the time she knew him. Which was why it would be a
disaster. Besides Leo loved his ex-wife and she didn't want to be a
rebound thing. Getting hurt wasn't on her agenda again. "I can't. I'm
sorry."

Leo nodded and retreated back to his office. It was obviously going
to take a little more to get her to give him a chance. At least now
he knew she liked him, or rather he was pretty sure she did, if the
look in her eyes and the slight hesitancy in answering were any thing
to go on. He could wait, after all all good things came to those who
waited.

******
CJ had been thinking about Leo's offer for the last hour. Her work
done, and no sign of the others returning, she was preparing to pack
up and go home. Which had led her to think about the empty apartment
and the endless chores waiting for her.

Of course then all her doubts had come rushing back and once more
she'd told herself that it wasn't a good idea. Now she was back to
telling herself it could be okay.

Leo was probably still working, and would be until, well he'd stay
all night if no one went to check on him. So she should probably drag
him from his desk. After all it was only dinner. An hour and a half
and some good food and they'd go their separate ways. They had been
colleagues for years so why should an innocent dinner lead to
complications?

Her mind made up, CJ grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair
and picked up her purse.

Leo's door was open and he was sitting behind his desk, rubbing the
bridge of his nose as he tried to read the papers before him.

"So I was thinking Thai," she suggested casually.

"Thai?" He stifled the grin that threatened to cover his
face. "Sounds good."

"But you'll have to drive. I walked this morning and Toby offered me
a lift home, but he's AWOL."

"So you're just using me?" he asked, tidying his desk and slipping
his jacket on.

"Well I'm tired and you do have the best parking space." She gave him
a winning smile.

"Maybe I should just run you home then," Leo replied, trying to hide
his disappointment.

"I have to eat, or so Abbey keeps telling me. Besides, you'll only
come back here."

She knew him too well, he concluded. "You have a restaurant in mind?"
he asked, placing a hand gently on her back and walking her towards
the parking lot.

"Yeah."

It took Leo a few minutes to locate a parking space when they finally
pulled up on the street outside the restaurant. When he'd eventually
backed into the space, he walked around to the passenger side and
opened the door for her to climb out. His hand held hers for a second
longer than necessary as she stepped onto the sidewalk and
straightened up.

"Thank you," she said, her eyes staring at his thumb gently massaging
her knuckles.

Leo dropped her hand and locked the car. He was getting ahead of
himself, he knew, but he couldn't help it. He'd been half in love
with her for years.

The restaurant was busy, despite its location, but the hostess
recognized CJ and within minutes they were being seated at a table
near the back of the restaurant.

She disappeared leaving them alone.

"So what changed your mind?" Leo asked, scanning the menu rather than
looking at her face.

CJ stopped the pretence of reading a menu she'd had memorized for two
years and looked directly at him. "We've been friends for years, Leo.
It shouldn't be awkward for us to have dinner together."

"I didn't think it was."

CJ shrugged. "The fish cakes are good and the ribs."

She was changing the subject, he concluded and despite their need to
talk, he didn't want her running for the hills again. At some point
they would need to address her fear of relationships, at least they
would if they were ever going to be anything more than friends. He
was definitely getting ahead of himself again.

The waitress appeared to take their order before leaving them with a
jug of water.

Conversation inevitably turned to work then as they waited for the
food to arrive. Over dinner he managed to steer her into a discussion
about her family and her life before joining the Bartlet circus. He
in turned talked about Mallory and his days as Labor Secretary.
Before either knew it, dinner was over and it was time to leave.

Leo placed a hand on her back and guided her to his car, opening the
door and waiting for her to climb in. He drove intuitively to her
apartment and pulled up outside.

As they stood on the sidewalk, neither said anything, until finally
she could stand it no more. "Would you like to come in for coffee?"

"Yeah," he grinned without hesitation. Leo followed her up the steps
and into the lobby, waiting as she opened the door and disappeared
into the kitchen.

"Nice place, CJ."

"It's within walking distance of the office and there are plenty of
restaurants in the neighborhood, what more could a girl want?"

He could think of something but he kept his opinion to himself.

She appeared a few seconds later with two mugs of steaming coffee and
placed them on the coffee table. "It's also cheap. Well, cheap for
D.C."

"Ah, the perfect apartment then?"

Time seemed to stand still as they talked about anything and
everything. It was, Leo concluded, the perfect, well almost perfect,
end to a perfect evening.

Not wanting to outstay his welcome, Leo finally lowered his empty
coffee cup to the table. "Time I should be going."

CJ stood with him and walked towards the door. "Thanks for dinner."

"Anytime," he replied, meaning it, as he reached for the door.

It took a second of indecision before CJ leaned down and placed a
chaste kiss on his cheek. She flushed pink and pulled back slightly.

One hand still on the door handle, Leo reached up to gently cup her
cheek, his fingers lightly stroking her cheek. "Good night, CJ." He
gave her a small smile before he leaned up on tip toe and kissed her
firmly on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

CJ closed the door behind him and leaned against it, her fingers
tracing the sensitive lips he had kissed. She had felt something
intense in that moment, something tender but passionate. Something
she hadn't felt in a while. It wasn't enough, she decided, to take
such a big risk. Leo was her boss, her friend and despite his
optimism, love always ended up hurting.

Heading towards the bedroom, she smiled to herself, it was a shame
really, she'd always wondered what was underneath his tailormade
suits.

*******

For three days CJ had been distant.

Leo couldn't imagine what she was thinking, although if she had felt
half of what he did when her lips touched his then she was probably
in torment. The kiss had been spontaneous but the intensity of the
feeling that shot through his body had been amazing. He'd spent most
of that night, and the next, reliving the moment.

He caught her staring at him, then looking away when she caught his
eye. He wasn't sure what to do next. He liked her but she had walls
around her, so frightened of falling in love and getting hurt. But
then he couldn't promise not to hurt her, just to try not to, and if
she wasn't willing to let him through her walls. . .

"CJ, can you stay behind?" Leo called, his eyes focused on the
letters before him.

CJ stopped in the door and held her briefing book closer to her chest.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner again, Saturday night?"
he asked candidly after a series of stolen glances at each of his
doors.

"No."

"No?" he repeated, the corners of his lips turning downwards. "Okay."

"What I meant to say was. . .I enjoyed Saturday night. . It was nice."

"Yeah, but. . .?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to do it again."

"I understand." He didn't, or at least he wasn't sure what her
reasoning was.

CJ gave him a sad smile and left.

Leo sat back in his chair, staring at the door she had just left by.
The kiss had been impulsive but he'd enjoyed her company, the way she
made him feel again. He'd been pretty sure she'd felt the same way.

Of course, there were endless reasons why someone like her wouldn't
want to go out with him. He was seventeen years older than her, well
worn and more of a curmudgeon than a ray of sunshine. She was
youthful, sexy and full of life. Then there was emotional baggage. He
had been married to Jenny for thirty years, there were some who
thought he was still hung up on her. And he had been for a long time,
but time had dulled the ache if not cured it. CJ needed a man who
wasn't going to let her down, a man who would put her before anything
and everything.

Of course he liked to put work before his relationships. Which is why
his first chance at romance since Jenny had failed. Jordan had been
sexy, feisty and Jed had approved. They'd spent last Christmas Eve
together but then he'd gotten tied up with work and forgotten to
phone. Hence the next time they saw each other she was a little
pissed with him. Come to think of it, he still hadn't spoken to her,
eight months later.

Then again, he wasn't known for giving up all that easily and he
could be good for her. CJ wasn't Jordan, she was something else
altogether.

Leo picked up the phone and dialled the florist. Flowers seemed to
work for everyone else, not that the hundred dollar bouquet to his
lawyer had improved things between them, but maybe CJ would
appreciate the gesture. If not, he could always try something else.

After placing an order for two dozen roses he returned to the papers
on his desk.

*******

Carol knocked on CJ's door, balancing the bouquet in her free
hand. "CJ?"

"Yeah."

"There was a delivery for you," Carol offered, grinning
inanely. "Care to share?"

CJ glanced at the flowers and back at Carol's face. "No." She crossed
the room and took the roses, breathing in the scent. "Thanks."

Carol hovered in the doorway. She was intrigued. CJ wasn't dating, of
that much she was sure, and if she'd met someone then Carol needed to
know, if only to smooth the way. CJ in love was a happy CJ and a
happy CJ made for a happy Carol.

With a sigh, CJ turned her back and searched for a card, coming up
empty handed. "Damn." Her first instinct was that she had another
secret stalker, but something about the gesture told her otherwise.
She wasn't going to back down, whatever he did. "Carol?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Why don't you put these on your desk?"

"CJ?"

"It's okay. I just. . . Take them," CJ stammered, pushing them into
Carol's arms.

Carol shrugged, carrying the roses into her office and placing them
on her desk. They were beautiful, and refusing them would probably
mean they'd end up on Donna's desk. Which in turn would mean a whiney
Josh turning up at CJ's door. Accepting them would just make life
easier.

When CJ arrived at work the next morning and opened her office door,
she had to take a step back, her lips quirking into a smile.

"Someone is trying to make an impression," Carol smirked, coming up
beside her. "Can I have his number?"

"How am I supposed to work in here?" CJ asked, throwing her briefcase
onto the couch and moving towards her flower laden desk. "Where's
Gail?"

Carol coughed and pointed to the area where her life cycle once was.

"Oh dear God."

Gail was happily swimming around her tank, in and out of her new rock
formations and weeds. The new tank was at least three times larger
than her bowl, and someone had gone to the trouble to make sure she
wasn't bored.

"So either the sex was good, or whoever wants a date," Carol crowed.

CJ shot her a look, rivalling her death stare. "Take some of these
flowers and distribute them amongst the assistants."

"Yes, Boss," Carol mumbled, sensing that her boss' mood wasn't going
to get any better. Besides if she didn't move some of the flowers CJ
wasn't going to be able to work anytime soon.

CJ shook her head. Leo was losing his mind, and it had to be him, no
one else was that crazy. Lifting a vase and locating her briefing
file, she headed off to the staff meeting.

He didn't even look at her once, instead acting his usual
professional self. Which was more irritating than the constant stream
of gifts, CJ decided. She tried to catch his eye but he looked away.
Something told her he wasn't going to give up anytime soon. The
thought made her inwardly smile.

It took two more days of gifts before she finally stormed into his
office, passed a bewildered Margaret, and told him to stop.

Leo looked up from his keyboard and removed his glasses. Instead of
arguing with her or denying it was him he calmly complied.

After she had left, he leaned back in his chair and contemplated his
next move. Now that he was convinced she liked him, he wasn't going
to give up easily.

*****

CJ scanned the ballroom and sipped the glass of champagne she had
managed to snag from a passing waiter. It had been a long day, one
crisis after another, and she had arrived at the dinner long after
the entrees had been cleared away. Now, of course she was expected to
schmooze the guests and. . . Her eyes drifted to a couple on the
dance floor and she blinked.

Leo had his arms around a young blonde, her head resting against his
shoulder. The girl's dress, CJ mused, left little to the imagination
but Leo didn't seem to mind.

"We were just discussing how much she looked like Ainsley," Josh
whispered, coming up behind her.

"Do you really think he has a thing for the republican sex kitten?"
Sam asked, appearing at her side.

"Your voice has gone all squeaky, there, Spanky," CJ teased, her eyes
never leaving the couple.

"Yeah, well. . .How is she keeping that dress up?"

"Toupee tape," CJ explained, emptying her glass.

The boys gawked at her in confusion before Josh spoke. "Is that how,
I mean. . . CJ?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know." By the
time she had turned back to the dance floor Leo had disappeared, as
had his young companion. Her face scrunched in frustration, her eyes
flashing with something entirely different.

Leo's rather flagrant show on the dance floor had better not turn
into something she had to spin or there was going to be trouble. That
was the only reason she was annoyed. It had nothing to do with the
fact that less than a week before he was asking her out relentlessly.
Nothing to do with the fact that she wanted to be the girl on the
dance floor. No, of course not. She scanned the dance floor once more
and still not spotting him, engaged a nearby senator in conversation.

That was the last she saw of him that evening, getting called back to
her office as Bruno found yet another problem. She tried not to think
about where Leo was or who he was with.

*~*~*~*

It had been over a week since Leo had appeared in her office. A week
since the gifts had stopped. Not that that bothered CJ, but his
absence did.

She had to admit, at least to herself if not to anyone else, that she
missed Leo's goofy smile and his fidgeting as he leaned against her
door frame. She missed the sound of his gravely voice stumbling as he
carefully considered his proposals. She missed the impish look in his
eyes as he waited for her answers. Which of course was always no.

Leo always left looking defeated, and the following day yet another
gift would arrive. If only he could see that her turning him down
wasn't because she didn't like him, or his gifts, but about so much
more. In truth Leo didn't need to buy her affections, she cared about
him anyway. She wasn't turning Leo down as much as she was turning
down relationships in general.

CJ picked up the day's newspaper clippings and began to flip through
them. She stopped suddenly. "CAROL!"

Carol took a deep breath and scrambled to her feet. "Yes, Boss," she
sighed, peering around the door frame.

"Tell Leo's office I'm on my way over."

When Margaret picked up the phone, Carol relayed the message, adding
an invitation to get a muffin. The sound of CJ's voice filtered
through the phone line as Margaret hung up.

"He's free," Margaret mumbled, grabbing her purse and heading for
cover.

"Good morning, CJ," Leo said, his eyes never leaving his desk.

"Don't good morning me."

Slowly he raised his head and removed his glasses. "You saw it then?"

"LEO!"

"It isn't what you think," he grumbled.

CJ waved her hands through the air and rolled her eyes. "The
Washington Post, so it's not even a cheesy tabloid, has you leaving
her apartment at three am. She was in her dressing gown."

"Are you jealous?" Leo asked flippantly, suppressing a grin.

"NO."

"Okay."

"We're in the middle of an election campaign, Leo."

"The private lives of the senior staff are just that, private."

He knew she was getting more and more pissed with the way her voice
was rising and her hands were waving at him. There were two choices,
he decided. Tell her to show some respect or rile her some more. He
chose the latter.

"Her name's Miranda," Leo stated.

"Did you sleep with her?" Okay, so that was overstepping the mark a
little, but hell if she had to cover his ass, she had the right to
ask.

"What are you? My mother?"

It definitely wasn't motherly feelings she was having right then.
Actually, she felt a little indignant. "So it's okay for you to ask
me about Danny but. . ."

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "I don't have one night stands, CJ."

Hope sprang eternal when he caught the spark in her eyes and the way
her hands dropped to her sides, fists clenching.

"So you're dating?" Her voice sounded strained.

Leo shrugged. "We've been out once, I'm not sure whether I'll see her
again." That depends on you. He'd thought that seeing other women
would help him get over CJ, it wasn't working. Jordan, Miranda, even
dinner with Amy, and he was still hung up on CJ.

"Oh?"

Sighing, he rose to his feet and walked around to the front of his
desk. "She's a good person, CJ. Kind, funny and smart. But I'm not in
the habit of hurting people like that." He hoped she understood what
he was trying to say.

"There's no guarantee you'd hurt her, Leo. She could be the one to
hurt you," CJ offered wistfully, concentrating on the newspaper in
her hand.

"That's the chance you have to take. The alternative is to be lonely
and sad."

CJ gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I guess so." She took a step
back. "Don't worry about the article, I'll deal with it."

CJ made her way back to her office, waving Josh off as he fell into
step with her. "Not now."

He continued to follow her. "It's fine, Josh. I'm taking care of it."

As he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Look, Josh, just leave it, okay?"

As the office door closed behind her she sank into the couch. She'd
been adamant about not getting involved with anyone, especially not
Leo. Relationships, especially ones that involved love, and there
wasn't any chance that a relationship with Leo wouldn't be based on
love, hurt. The problem was it was probably too late. Not being with
Leo and seeing him with someone one else hurt. She'd admit to being
jealous, and lonely.

Her eyelids fluttered shut as she considered Leo. It wasn't possible
that she was even contemplating what she was contemplating, but if
she didn't at least try, she'd never know. They'd had dinner before
and he'd kissed her. Surely they could do it again.

*~*~*~*

"Leo?" CJ called nervously.

Leo looked up from studying the schedule Margaret had dropped on his
desk and removed his glasses. "Problem, CJ?"

"Have you got a minute?"

He shrugged, "A minute's all I have. What do you need?"

CJ took a deep breath, "I was wondering if you'd like to have
dinner. . .with me," she babbled. "That is to say, I'd like to cook
for you."

"CJ, you can't cook," Leo stated, mock seriously. She was actually
asking him to dinner, things were looking up.

"Well, then that should tell you something," she snorted, taking
another step into his office.

"That you're trying to poison me. Josh was right - you really do want
my parking space." He laughed, rising to his feet and walking around
to the front of his desk. "Why don't I do the cooking?"

CJ raised an eyebrow. "You live in a hotel room. Can you cook?"

"There's this cooking show I've been watching."

"The soft porn thing?"

Leo sighed, "Margaret. It's not soft porn. Nigella just knows how to
handle her vegetables."

"Okay, then," CJ grinned. "So, how about tomorrow night, you cook and
I'll provide the ginger ale?"

"You have a. . .," he trailed off hesitantly.

"It's a date, Leo. I'm asking you out on a date," CJ emphasized.

"A Sam and Mallory kinda date?"

She really had no idea what he was talking about. "That depends on
what you cook," CJ offered with a smile, turning and walking out of
the door.

In that case, Leo thought, he'd better do something with chocolate.

*******
CJ walked around her apartment, checking that everything was ready.
She'd already made up the bed with fresh sheets and vacuumed the
carpets. Not that she thought he'd be going in her bedroom. Leo
didn't strike her as a sex on the first date sort of man. She still
couldn't believe she was even contemplating sex with Leo at all. All
she wanted was for the apartment to look nice, it seemed the
appropriate thing to do.

Leo's knock on the door sent her scurrying to the mirror to check her
appearance. Satisfied she didn`t look completely hideous, she opened
the door and fixed a wide smile on her face.

"Hey."

"CJ."

They looked at each other nervously for a few seconds before Leo
lifted the bag of groceries to his hip. "I brought food."

"I'm sorry, come in," she apologized, stepping back and motioning him
to come in.

Leo wandered into the kitchen and placed the bag on the
counter. "Hungry?"

"Not yet," CJ called, stuffing magazines into the rack.

"Okay. I brought chocolate cake"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna make out with me right now, don't you?" Leo smirked, his
nervousness replacing any confidence he'd had in the car on the way
over.

"No, but the night is young," she smiled, picking at the hem of her
sweater nervously as she crossed the room. "Would you like a drink? I
have ginger ale in the fridge." She could do this.

He nodded and watched as she padded into the kitchen and began to fix
him a drink.

They moved back into the living room and CJ motioned for him to take
the couch while she dropped into the armchair.

They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments before they
naturally fell into conversation about work. Work, and the White
House gossip exhausted, Leo walked into the kitchen to start dinner.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I took a chance," Leo called,
placing the pan on the stove.

"I'm sure it will be fine," CJ replied, finally rising from the couch
and wandering into the kitchen. "I usually just order take out."

Leo chopped garlic and herbs and threw them into a bowl, adding
chicken breasts. "Well I can't promise this will be an improvement."

"At least you brought chocolate," she grinned, hopping up onto the
counter and swinging her legs. "You can never go wrong with
chocolate."

"Where can I find a spatula?"

CJ opened her legs and slid out a drawer, riffling through the
utensils until she pulled out a spatula. "Here."

"Thank you," he said, taking a step closer and reaching for the
spatula. His fingers grazed her knuckles as he did so.

She jumped as a sudden electricity shot up her arm. Her eyes finally
found his and Leo was staring at her.

"CJ?"

"Leo?"

She wasn't sure who initiated the kiss, only that his hand was
caressing the base of her neck and her hand was toying with the
waistband of his pants. The kiss itself was soft, languid, full of
promise - promise of what she wasn't sure.

Finally, he pulled back. "Uh, I need to. . ." He waved his hand at
the pan.

"Yeah."

As he turned his back to stir the contents of the pan, CJ slipped
from the counter and disappeared to set the table.

*~*~*~*

They sat on the couch after dinner, side by side, watching CNN. It
wasn't so much awkward as unfamiliar, neither used to having someone
else there, neither sure what had happened earlier.

"So about before," Leo began, turning his body slightly until he
could see her face.

"Yeah?" she replied hesitantly, her hands clasping in her lap.

"It was. . .nice."

CJ raised an eyebrow. "We're talking about dinner, right?" CJ
teased. "Because my technique has never been described as nice."

Leo sighed and ran the fingers of one hand up his leg. "What I meant
is. . ."

"We could just try it again," CJ offered, the smallest of smiles
forcing it's way onto her face. And again, she thought.

"Okay," he said, bobbing his head.

They stared at each other for the longest time before simultaneously
moving towards each other. Their second kiss was soft and gentle as
they became accustomed to each other's lips. The third was harder,
evoking feelings deep inside CJ that she had thought impossible.
Instinctively she pulled away.

"It's okay," Leo promised. "There's no hurry. We can take this
slowly." He was willing to wait just as long as he knew it was what
they both wanted.

Her smile warmed his heart as she placed a chaste kiss on his
cheek. "Thank you, Leo," she whispered, lowering her head to his
chest.

"What if you're not the one?" CJ asked, her voice sending vibrations
through his chest.

"What if I am?" He pulled his arms tighter around her body.

"Leo!"

Gently he lifted her head to look at her face. "I can't promise there
won't be bad times or that one or both of us won't want to leave, but
I can say that I'm going to try and make this work. I think I could
fall in love with you and given half the chance I'm sure you could
love me." At her raised eyebrow, he grinned. "I'm a loveable kinda
guy."

"Yeah?" she asked, sceptically.

"That's sarcasm, right?"

She smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist, laying her head back
on his chest. Love doesn't have to hurt, he'd told her, and for the
first time she was starting to believe it.

The End

Back to The Chief Of Staff's Office