Disclaimer:
Don't own the characters - you really think I have
that kind of
money?
Rating T for a few swear words and allusions of sex!
A/N: Finally getting around to posting all of my West Wing stories on here. Not sure how many WW fans are still out there but I hope whoever reads it, whether you're a fan of the show or not, enjoys it. Let me know what you think Em x
A Child's Laughter.
CJ sat on the stoop outside her apartment, a
steaming mug of coffee
cradled in her hands, and watched as a
young couple walked past with
their child. The small girl giggled
gleefully as her father scooped
her up to sit on his shoulders and
CJ couldn't help but wonder if
the sound of a child's laughter was
the reason why the world
existed. So pure and innocent at such a
young age, unaware of the
woes of the world that they had been
brought in to, delighting in
each newfound beauty of the earth.
Without such innocence, CJ
wondered, would we strive so hard to
make it to adulthood?
CJ sighed loudly, watching as her warm
breath formed white clouds
and floated off into the cool, DC
evening air. When had she become
so cynical? At what time had she
come to ponder life's trials and
tribulations?
Probably at
the same moment she had begun to feel lonely, CJ
thought. Probably
when returning to her apartment every evening on
her own had
become something she dreaded rather than something she
welcomed.
No husband to greet her at the doorway with a kiss
reserved only
for her. No children to sing a lullaby or read
nighttime stories
to.
Not even a cat!
The cat she could probably live
without but everything else………the
longing for a husband, a
child………a family………had recently lodged
itself deep in
her heart.
CJ reached up with her free hand and wiped away the
stray tear that
was slowly making its way down her cheek. She
shivered. It was
starting to get cold. Standing up, she took one
last sip of her now
lukewarm coffee and tossed the dregs into the
bushes to the side of
the steps. She allowed herself to watch as
the young family walked
further down the street until they turned
the corner and she was
left with nothing. Smiling at the irony she
walked into her
apartment building, shutting the door tightly
behind her. A hot
bath and an early night, she thought to herself
as she unlocked the
door to her apartment. It was only ten o'clock
but she had an early
morning meeting with the Vice-President and
CJ had a feeling she was
going to have a fight on her
hands.
John Hoynes turned swiftly on his heel,
narrowly avoiding walking
into the wall, and then resumed his
pacing. Angry wasn't the word
to describe how he was feeling. Jed
Bartlet - Mr President - was
once again asking him to do his dirty
work for him, without even
having the decency to come right out
and ask him face to face.
No, thought John, that would be the
easy thing to do, the right
thing to do. Not only did he have to
live in the shadows of the man
who beat him to the Presidency but
also it seemed that he wasn't
good enough to be given his orders
directly from the President.
Instead, the White House sent over
the Press Secretary, CJ Cregg.
The woman had an answer for
everything and never let John do things
his way.
A bitter
laugh escaped John's lips. He hadn't been surprised
when he'd
found out about his meeting with CJ, it wasn't the first
time she
had been sent to give him orders and John was sure it
wouldn't be
the last.
For now, though, he was being sent to California to
try to smooth
things over after Jed shafted them with the latest
tax hikes. Smile
sweetly and make sure the President comes out of
it unscathed were
his instructions from CJ. And a little
campaigning on my own
behalf, John had thought to himself at the
time. It would be
difficult to arrange what with CJ accompanying
him on the trip, no
doubt to keep an eye on him, but John was sure
that if he was doing
a favour for the Bartlet Administration then
he would make the trip
beneficial for himself too.