John wandered through the trees, following the light of the moon and the floodlights that surrounded the cabins. He wasn’t sure why he was looking for CJ. As a member of Bartlet’s staff she had always been cold and somewhat hostile to him, and he been less than polite to her. CJ was however the only one, other than Leo, who had taken the time to drop him a note after Catherine’s death. His dear sweet Catherine, in the two years since his death he had resisted the urge to date. One in deference to his late wife, and the other because his career depended on having the right woman by his side. Hey it worked for Michael Douglas in American President. Catherine was his first love, blonde, and the all American girl. He had been seventeen, her fifteen and four years later she had become his wife. Her death had been sudden and he often thought if he hadn’t worked so hard maybe he would have been there when it happened. Now all he had left was his son, Mark, at Stanford, and father and son had a difficult relationship.

CJ removed her shoes and carried them. Her head was pounding and she thought maybe she’d lost her way. At least if she headed downhill she had some chance of finding the cabins. After some sleep she was going to speak to Abbey. It was hard to believe this woman who claimed to be her friend would be quite so cruel, and by the look on Hoynes face he didn’t want to be there either. But he did look good. That just stepped out of the shower look was good on him, though it might have been even better if he’d been wearing a towel. Well now she was feeling warm. CJ glanced around and sighed, the trees looked denser and the floodlights had all but disappeared. This is what you got for getting drunk and running off.

John carried on walking, trying to put all thoughts of his family out of his head, now was not the time to get depressed. He listened to the silence of the night and then he heard her scream. John picked up speed and ran in the direction of the noise. He found her spread eagle on the ground, her skirt up around her hips.

“CJ?” he said softly.

She looked up, “Hi, I seem to have lost my footing.”

He crossed the grass and crouched beside her, “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, “No Sir.”

John raised his eyebrows and got the sudden urge to laugh. Instead he extended his hand, “Call me John, at least while we’re stuck here.”

She allowed him to pull her up and locate her shoes.

“The path’s this way,” he said, heading back the way he had come.

CJ dusted herself off and pushed her hair back of her face. She stood watching his retreating back.

Finally he realised she wasn’t following and turned back, “Are you okay?”

“As embarrassing as it is, I’m not too steady on my feet,” she said, her voice barely audible.

John crossed the space between them and took her arm, “I’ll walk you back,” he said softly.

The walk back to her cabin took a few minutes, the lights already on. John opened the door and stood back waiting for her to go inside.

“Are you going to be okay from here?” he asked, amused by her obviously inebriated state.

“I’m going to be fine,” she slurred, taking a step and falling into him.

John put out his arms to steady her and ended up holding her while she regained her balance. Their heights meant they were face to face and he could smell her perfume and the wine. His hands at her waist he prepared to let her go and was taken by surprise when she inched her face closer.

It didn’t really occur to CJ how drunk she was. On particularly bad nights she would often have Toby or Donna take her home and then she would manage to get undressed and go to bed. Tonight she was a little more unsteady than usual but somewhere in the recesses of her mind she blamed it on mountain air and being so exhausted. Her brain was at the point where it switched down and ran on instinct. So here she was, having been walked home by probably the most eligible man in politics, standing on her porch.

His hands were resting on her waist and the temperature had definitely risen two or three degrees. His scent was suffocating her senses and all she could think of was that right then, at that moment she was a woman who wanted to kiss a man.

Slowly she slid her hands up his arms, rolling over his shoulder blades to cross her arms behind his back. She tried not to focus on the feel of his chest, his heart banging against hers as her lips moved closer.

Then she felt his lips against hers, the gentlest of pressure exerted for the briefest of seconds. He tasted of lime and chocolate but mostly he was warm. Pulling back slightly she parted her lips and kissed him again, this time, harder and more demanding. CJ felt him respond, pulling her waist closer, sucking on her lips before he stepped back and looked at her wide eyed. It was sobering enough for her to open her mouth to speak. Before she apologized or, thankfully, propositioned him, he released her, took a sharp intake of breath and left. CJ watched him go, the full impact of what had just happened nowhere near her reality. It was minutes before she lifted her fingers to her lips and smiled, even longer before she disappeared into the cabin and slipped into sleep.

John woke early, if in deed he had slept at all, and paced around the wooden structure, a whole plethora of emotions running through his head. When he had left her last night his mind had been racing, and by the time he reached Maple he was practically running. Ignoring the agent who would stand guard over him he closed the outer door and sat on the couch. As with so much of his life his first thought was of Catherine. Since her death he hadn’t even looked at a woman let alone kissed one and now here he was kissing someone who hated him. So technically she kissed him, and he wasn’t cheating but he had to consider Catherine. It had always been her wish that he marry again, okay now he was jumping the gun. He loved Catherine, would until his dying day but even he realised that at forty three, he would one day want companionship. And Mark, he would get a kick out of the fact his father could even pull a woman, if a drunk Press Secretary counted. His thoughts had centred around his family last night and how wrong it was.

Then in the hours when sleep was evasive he thought about the sphere he lived in, the public goldfish bowl Mark called it. He was Vice President and one day he would run for President, of course that’s what he thought he’d be doing this Summer, and dating would never be easy. His aides daily had to sort through marriage proposals, photos, requests for dates and quite often opinions on how he should live. And if he ever wanted to date it would get worse. One drunken kiss and he was already examining his future. Thank you CJ. Then there was the reaction he would get if this got out. The Press would either treat it like a modern day love story, a sordid little tale or take him to the cleaners for deflowering their Press Secretary. And the President, Jesus, if he ever heard about the kiss, John Hoynes would be in for a roasting, either that or a Spanish inquisition about honour. And he didn’t even want to think about the Senior Staff.

This morning as he warmed up for a jog he thought about CJ, herself. There was fire in her eyes at dinner and he had watched with interest as she drank herself under the table. It brought him to the familiar. Whoever he eventually dated would have to know he was an alcoholic. CJ was an interesting woman, sexy and feminine all rolled into one.

 John opened the door and nodded to the agent, they set off at pace, heading for the fence around the property, upon recommendations to follow the bridle path. They had had their fair share of spats, mainly when she had accused him of deliberately leaking things to the press or misrepresenting things. Hell he’d been pretty mean to her. A little of it lie in the fact she scared him. His knowledge of Bartlet led him to believe he only picked the brightest, or at least Leo did, Josh the strongest example. By the very nature of the fact she was the only woman and the face of the administration he knew she was something special. He had been glued to the screen in the days after Roslyn and acquired a little admiration for her.

As he picked up speed and nodded to the few people scattered about the estate he had to admit she was one hell of a woman.

*********************************************************************************

CJ rolled over in bed and hid her head under a pillow. She had definitely been drunk the night before, if the pounding of her head and the fact she was still fully dressed was anything to go on. Looking at her watch she cringed at the time, she had never slept till after eight. Perhaps the worst example she had was that she had kissed John Hoynes. She groaned and begged god to let her avoid him.

The knocking of the door broke her reverie and she pulled herself out of bed to pad into the lounge.

The steward at the door looked far too bright and smug for the time, and her state of mind, but she managed to give him a tiny glimpse of, what the boys called, her ‘Love ya’ smile as he placed a tray on the coffee table.

“The First Lady thought you might need some coffee,” he said, his voice oddly quiet. “And some Advil. There are pastries if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks,” CJ whispered and covered her eyes. “Was there a message?” Knowing Abbey she wouldn’t leave it at that.

“That the gentlemen were playing Golf, if you needed a giggle to join her at ten, if not lunch is at one,” he recited. “Have a good day.”

CJ closed the door behind him and rubbed her temples, watching the Vice President play Golf was most definitely not on her agenda. She tipped three Advil from the bottle and washed them down with coffee. Taking a quick look at the pastries she felt suddenly nauseous and headed back to bed. Lying in the darkness, her eyes closed and throwing clothes off she began once again to chastise herself about the night before.

It had been stupid, firstly to get drunk, considering the company, and then to hit on someone she hardly knew. One nightstands were a thing of the past, when no one knew her and sex was a way to company. Abbey she knew would have a field day, her pet project having fruition. And the others, hell there was no way she wanted any of them to know. At least the Vice President wasn’t going to band it about that she kissed him, whether he would use it as ammunition was another thought all together. At some point it would be necessary to apologize.

It was by her very nature not her thing to stay in bed, moping. Standing, shakily at first she went into the bathroom. Waiting for the water to warm up she shrugged out of her underwear and stepped under the spray. It hit her hard and she closed her eyes, leaning back against the cold white tiles to gain her equilibrium. John Hoynes it seemed was destined to fill her thoughts. She remembered his lips, warm and tender, against hers, his regular heartbeat and the strongly defined muscles. She also remembered the look of surprise and panic as he turned away and ran. This is the sort of thing that happened to Josh not her. Of course had she known what Abbey had planned for the weekend she would have declined the offer and flown to Arkansas with Sam. Mind you if she had been entirely honest with Abbey this probably wouldn’t have happened anyway. The one important thing remained, John Hoynes was a sexy man and she was a single, horny female who would quite happily sleep with him.

CJ stuck her head back under the spray.

**********************************************************************************

After a long run and a good hot shower John changed into light pants and a polo shirt, drank the hot coffee someone had kindly left and went to find the President. He found him on the green, banding about a golf club as some poor junior officer tried to teach him the finer points. Abbey, he noted, was up on the patio, watching her husband with some amusement. He decided it was best to approach her first.

“Morning Abbey,” he greeted.

“John, sleep well?” she asked, appraising him with her eyes.

“Yes,” he replied, not wanting to go down that line, “Is it safe?” he asked indicating the green.

Abbey laughed, as lyric as her voice, “Stand well back and duck when he hit’s a ball.”

“Thanks,” he muttered, wandering up the slope to the green.

Abbey watched him go and glanced at her watch, wondering if CJ was going to make an appearance.

“Good morning John,” Jed said holding out his hand. “So what’s your handicap?”

John smiled and was about to mutter ‘you’ when he thought better of, “It doesn’t apply on this short a course, you want to go first Sir?”

Jed shook his head, “In the full spirit of sportsmanship, after you and it’s Jed. Mr President, good shot doesn’t quite have the same ring.”

John smiled, he didn’t expect to be saying that much.

The game went as he expected, the President taking bad shots and getting frustrated and John having to let him win holes. At least he surmised he would always be able to look back and remember just how useless Josiah Bartlet was.

******************************************************************************

CJ stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, the headache was well on it’s way to going and she thought a walk would clear the cobwebs. Slipping into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt she left the cabin and headed away from the main lodge. She knew where the others would be and right now it wasn’t people she needed. If she was completely honest with herself, and that was something she fought hard not to do, she wanted a relationship, someone to have dinner with, and go to the movies with. She didn’t need a man and certainly it was not something she went looking for, men invariably came to her. Her father on the other hand, believed she needed a man, children, a people carrier. Her father unfortunately wanted life to remain the same, the man as breadwinner, etc. Anyway at this point in her life a relationship would be good, with John, well he was a mystery.

It was two hours later when she found herself staring into the pond, watching as fish swam around in circles, and the water hit the rocks. She was struggling to find a metaphor for her life but nothing came.

“How’s the head?” Jed asked creeping up behind her.

CJ spun around, “Mr President? I didn’t hear you. Sorry.”

He shrugged, “That’s the thing about having no agents. I have stealth capabilities.” He stood next to her and gazed down at the fish. “Abbey was worried when you didn’t join us for golf.”

“I didn’t much feel like company,” she whispered. “And there the slight matter of a headache.”

Jed laughed, “It’s to do with the grapes, one grape and you’re fine, a mixture and anything can happen.”

“With me it unfortunately does,” she muttered.

Jed glanced across at her and noted the obvious conflict in her face, “Is something wrong, Claudia Jean?”

She looked across at him and smiled, “No Sir, but I think I may take it easy on the wine for the next few days.”

“Abbey says it’s time for lunch,” John called coming around the corner. He stopped when he saw CJ, his face void of expression. “Good afternoon CJ.”

“Mr Vice President.”

Jed glanced between them and frowned, for once picking up on hidden tension. “Well we had better go before my wife sends out a search party.” He rested a hand on CJ’s arm and smiled at her when she turned to look at him. Her body seemed to relax with his touch and she allowed herself to be lead into the dining room of the lodge.

John followed behind, quietly watching for any sign she wanted to acknowledge last night.

Over lunch they discussed nothing of any consequence, CJ sitting back in her seat to listen to the others. It didn’t feel alien to be with these people, after all she had often sat in the residence or at the Farm chatting with Abbey. When the conversation turned back to the afternoon CJ suddenly felt the world slipping away.

“Doubles, Jed,” Abbey ordered. “That way we can all play.”

CJ sat up straighter.

“CJ can be my partner,” Jed stated, grinning, “She has a mean backhand.”

He turned to Abbey and the colour drained from his face. “Or you and I could pair up, we can take these two.”

John started laughing, it was hard not to. For the longest time he had heard how frightened of Abbey Jed was and now he had seen it for himself. The man was practically melting under her gaze. CJ turned to look at him and back at Abbey.

“I’m going to get changed,” CJ announced, thinking maybe it was time to leave them alone. “Mr Vice President, may I suggest you do the same?”

John looked at her and nodded, he wasn’t sure why but he got the impression he should get out of there. They walked in silence for a bit until finally he spoke.

“What was that about?” he asked quietly, watching his feet.

CJ continued to look ahead, “I was drunk, I apologise,” she said, her voice flat.

He stopped in his tracks and smiled, “I meant back there.”

CJ stopped and looked at him, her heart racing a little faster at that smile. “With the First Couple?”

He nodded, “You gave the impression it was time to run. Were they about to scream at each other?”

“Sir, they were about to…” she waved her hands about, “the opposite of fight.”

John flushed as realisation hit him, “Oh.” He returned to his feet. “You’ve witnessed that a few times?”

“Ya could say,” she laughed. “On the campaign, I think most of us witnessed the fights, then the make up sessions. The game could be delayed a while.”

“He can last that long?” John asked, eyebrows raised.

CJ fell about laughing at the look of pure incredulous on John’s face.

“Abbey’s never complained about his stamina.”

John didn’t quite know what to say, here they were in the middle of a forest talking about the President and his wife having sex.

“Well here we are,” she said, coming to her cabin. “I’d give them an hour.”

Suddenly he didn’t want to leave her. “So I’ve walked you back twice now and still I don’t get invited in.”

CJ looked at him in awe, either he was arrogant or he was crazy.

John continued to stare at her, his eyes full of challenge. He didn’t want to be alone and if anything he needed to prove to himself last night was just a mistake.

“So, are you going to offer me a drink?” he prompted.

CJ opened her mouth to say something and closed it again. John shrugged and opened the door. He was raiding her fridge when she finally followed him in.

“Mr Vice President?” CJ began.

“John.”

CJ rolled her eyes, “John! What are you doing?”

He looked up from what he was doing, “I’m fixing us both a glass of water. You’ll need to be hydrated if we’re going to play.”

She continued to stand in the doorway, wondering what happened to the man who bolted from her last night.

“We could talk more easily if you came and sat down,” he said, sitting on the couch.

CJ crossed over to him and took the chair, “Forgive me, but this is my cabin?”

“Yes. If we go to mine there’ll be a guard outside and then you’ll get all nervous,” he mumbled.

“Me, get nervous? You’re the one who gave the impression of a deer in headlamps,” she yelled.

John sat forward in his seat and gave her a brief smile, “So it did happen then?”

CJ closed her eyes, “As I said, I was drunk. I kissed you and I apologise for the embarrassment.”

“You go around a lot kissing men when you’re drunk?” he asked, stifling a grin at the look of horror on her face.

“NO, I do not,” she cried, “and you, you kissed me back”

It was his turn to close his eyes, “Yes I did.”

Silence followed as neither knew what to say. Somewhere a clock ticked.

“Can I be honest with you?” he asked finally.

CJ opened her eyes and smiled in reassurance, “Of course.”

“You’re the first woman I’ve kissed since Catherine,” he said, his voice barely audible.

“Really?” she exclaimed.

He nodded, “We were married for twenty years. I never cheated.”

CJ bit her lip, “Last night was my fault. I never meant to upset you.”

He stood and she thought for a second he was going to leave, instead he moved to the end of the couch closest to her.

“It wasn’t so much you upset me as made me think,” he sighed.

“About your wife?” CJ prompted.

He nodded. “About Catherine, and Mark, and the District,” he listed. “And my political aspirations.”

CJ laughed, “Mine were simpler, Toby, Josh, Sam and Leo.”

John looked up at her his eyes wide, “They crossed my mind too.”

She looked surprised, “OH?”

“I had visions of them killing me and the President asking my intentions when they find out what happened.”

CJ stood abruptly, “They will never know. It was a drunken kiss John, you need never think about it again.

He rose to his feet at the sudden change in mood. Just when he thought they were getting somewhere she had brought the shutters back up.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” he stated simply, before leaving.

CJ stood in the doorway watching him walk away, her head swirling with the conflicting emotions he evoked in her.

**********************************************************************************

Jed and Abbey were already warming up when John arrived at the clay court, bouncing balls off the net. He placed his water bottle and towel on the ground and grabbed one of the rackets. As he trotted over to the right hand side of the court Abbey watched him from beneath her sunglasses. As he shuffled from foot to foot and rebounded Jed’s serve his shorts rode up his thighs and she could make out his strongly defined muscles. His T-shirt unfortunately left too much to the imagination.

CJ knew she was late, it had taken a while to find her shorts and her sports bra, and even longer to decide what to do with her hair. Eventually she settled for tied in a ponytail and slipped into the tight white shorts and cross-backed vest top. She was practically running when she arrived and took her place on the court.

John glanced across and grinned as he moved to the back of the court to serve, and discreetly watched her backside as she shuffled. He brought his racket back and slammed the ball, hitting his first ace. The game continued in much the same vein. The two men squaring off, leaving the women to run interference.

Eventually Abbey and CJ gave up and sat to oneside.

“John’s looking pretty fine there,” Abbey snickered.

CJ continued to look ahead, “Leave it alone Abbey.”

“What happened between you two last night?” Abbey asked, her voice concerned.

“NOTHING,” CJ snapped, then remembered her place. “Nothing happened. He made sure I got home okay.”

“Okay,” Abbey said, holding her hands up in surrender.

“Good game Mr President,” John grinned, shaking his hand.

“Humph,” The President muttered.

“What’s a matter Dumpling? Did he beat you?” Abbey asked sweetly.

“Only just.”

John leaned towards CJ, “Two sets to love, 6-2, 6-3. Would you like a game?”

She shook her head, “I need something calmer.”

“A walk? The sauna?” he begged.

“John, are you that desperate for company?” she teased.

He snorted, “My options are limited, those two making googly faces at each other, solitary or you.”

CJ stood so she could face him, “So I’m your last choice?”

He sighed, “Look, forget it, I just thought it would be nice to talk.” He took a few steps and turned back, “Mr President, Abbey, have a good evening.”

When he had gone CJ turned back to them, “I should go get changed before dinner. What time are we meeting up?”

Jed looked at Abbey and back at CJ before grimacing, “Abbey and I were planning to…”

“That’s okay,” CJ interjected, “I’ll eat in the mess or something.”

“I’m sure John wouldn’t mind the company,” Abbey said smiling.

CJ groaned, “You have to stop matchmaking Abbey, before someone gets hurt.”

“He’s bound to be reticent at first,” she stated.

Jed’s voice boomed out between them, “Abbey, leave it alone. CJ’s old enough to make her own decisions. And I think John maybe too.”

At the stony eyed glare she gave him he began to run his fingers up her arm and down her back. CJ groaned at the intimate gesture, wondering fleetingly what the agents would make of it if they just made love there and then.

“I’m going now,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“Have a nice evening CJ.”

Continued in Part Seven

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