at last, at last ...
The Unasked Question
For: anita_coffee
Note to you: I apologize if this isn’t exactly what you wanted. I kind of realized that I lost my challenge e-mail and that realization came early this afternoon when I went to double check on what I’d written. So, I hope this works for you.
Pairing: Andi/CJ (friendship)
Rating: Teen
A/N: This actually fits perfectly into my Dark History series. And this will be up on that page this weekend sometime.
Disclaimer: All is owned by Warner Brothers and the Powers that Be.
Summary: She still didn’t know what had possessed her to pick up the phone and ask CJ to come along baby-shopping.
The Unasked Question
A writer would use this moment to tell the story in a flash; Andrea could almost hear Toby narrating the moment as CJ came up to her, her arms laden with stuffed animals for the baby’s room. And in this moment she saw, instead of a huge sea turtle, a baby in the taller woman’s arms. But Andrea wasn’t a writer, and this moment was real life, and the flash she saw was merely a figment of her imagination.
She wanted to say she was having a bad time. But then, that wouldn’t be fair to her or to her shopping companion, who deserved to be having a bad time. She still didn’t know what had possessed her to pick up the phone and ask CJ to come along baby-shopping today; her only thought process was that with the due date nearing and the twins playing kickball with her gallbladder, it was time to let the past fade - even if, as politicians, it wasn’t a skill they possessed. She knew she’d never really forgive Toby and CJ for their affair during the first campaign, but here she was, carrying Toby’s children. All of them had changed, aged. She wondered if calling themselves “grown up” was too much. After all, the children in her womb were not from any kind of planning and had resulted completely in a youthful mistake of too much wine and no protection. It was time to move on, even if forgiving and forgetting was impossible. But she had once enjoyed CJ’s company, and today, over melting smoothies from Orange Julius, she found herself enjoying it again.
Andrea Wyatt had never been a woman to giggle. To laugh, yes. To guffaw like a drunken sailor, definitely. But she was not a giggler. Yet, she found it was giggles escaping her throat as she and CJ scurried into the crib store. Her children woke at the unexpected vibrations from their mother’s diaphragm and started bouncing, picking up on her excitement. She grinned as CJ threw her a goofy look and headed straight for the yellow linens with purple ducks. She followed the other woman, wondering for a moment if CJ would ever have children of her own. Toby had told her, once, that there had been a miscarriage - or was it an abortion - she couldn’t remember. Suddenly she felt guilty, and placed a hand over one of her children, silently asking for their stillness.
She wondered what her ex’s ex dreamed of when it came to motherhood. She wondered if CJ thought she was giving into the idea that all women weren’t truly women unless they were also mothers. She didn’t know if the question was worth asking when CJ was laughing and bringing over little sheets and blankets and towels - all perfect for the silky skin of an infant.
Andi felt a kick from her son (at least, she imagined it was her son) and smiled as she rubbed the perfect, soft cloth against her cheek. “CJ,” she looked into the other woman’s bright blue eyes, and the question died on her lips. “These are perfect, she placed them in the crib she’d chosen. “Thank you.”
For: anita_coffee
Note to you: I apologize if this isn’t exactly what you wanted. I kind of realized that I lost my challenge e-mail and that realization came early this afternoon when I went to double check on what I’d written. So, I hope this works for you.
Pairing: Andi/CJ (friendship)
Rating: Teen
A/N: This actually fits perfectly into my Dark History series. And this will be up on that page this weekend sometime.
Disclaimer: All is owned by Warner Brothers and the Powers that Be.
Summary: She still didn’t know what had possessed her to pick up the phone and ask CJ to come along baby-shopping.
The Unasked Question
A writer would use this moment to tell the story in a flash; Andrea could almost hear Toby narrating the moment as CJ came up to her, her arms laden with stuffed animals for the baby’s room. And in this moment she saw, instead of a huge sea turtle, a baby in the taller woman’s arms. But Andrea wasn’t a writer, and this moment was real life, and the flash she saw was merely a figment of her imagination.
She wanted to say she was having a bad time. But then, that wouldn’t be fair to her or to her shopping companion, who deserved to be having a bad time. She still didn’t know what had possessed her to pick up the phone and ask CJ to come along baby-shopping today; her only thought process was that with the due date nearing and the twins playing kickball with her gallbladder, it was time to let the past fade - even if, as politicians, it wasn’t a skill they possessed. She knew she’d never really forgive Toby and CJ for their affair during the first campaign, but here she was, carrying Toby’s children. All of them had changed, aged. She wondered if calling themselves “grown up” was too much. After all, the children in her womb were not from any kind of planning and had resulted completely in a youthful mistake of too much wine and no protection. It was time to move on, even if forgiving and forgetting was impossible. But she had once enjoyed CJ’s company, and today, over melting smoothies from Orange Julius, she found herself enjoying it again.
Andrea Wyatt had never been a woman to giggle. To laugh, yes. To guffaw like a drunken sailor, definitely. But she was not a giggler. Yet, she found it was giggles escaping her throat as she and CJ scurried into the crib store. Her children woke at the unexpected vibrations from their mother’s diaphragm and started bouncing, picking up on her excitement. She grinned as CJ threw her a goofy look and headed straight for the yellow linens with purple ducks. She followed the other woman, wondering for a moment if CJ would ever have children of her own. Toby had told her, once, that there had been a miscarriage - or was it an abortion - she couldn’t remember. Suddenly she felt guilty, and placed a hand over one of her children, silently asking for their stillness.
She wondered what her ex’s ex dreamed of when it came to motherhood. She wondered if CJ thought she was giving into the idea that all women weren’t truly women unless they were also mothers. She didn’t know if the question was worth asking when CJ was laughing and bringing over little sheets and blankets and towels - all perfect for the silky skin of an infant.
Andi felt a kick from her son (at least, she imagined it was her son) and smiled as she rubbed the perfect, soft cloth against her cheek. “CJ,” she looked into the other woman’s bright blue eyes, and the question died on her lips. “These are perfect, she placed them in the crib she’d chosen. “Thank you.”