(no subject)
Title: You Used to Love to Dance
Author:
sterling_sky
Rating: G. Sorry, guys. Eventually, I promise. ;)
Word Count: 870ish.
Summary: James Dean, cigarettes, White House balconies and Tucson, Arizona.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Sorkin/NBC et al. Purely for pleasure, not for profit.
A/N: I liked this one better in my head, but mcgarrygirl78 made me like it enough on paper to post it. It occurs to me that I kind of stole my title from a Melissa Etheridge song, but I'm sure she won't mind. Love it? Hate it? Let me know and I will be yours forever. :)
“Mrs. Bartlet.” CJ was somehow not surprised to see her out on the balcony. She’d caught the First Lady’s eye a few times from across the crowded ball room and though Abbey returned her smile each time, she could tell that for whatever reason, the other woman’s heart just wasn’t in it tonight.
“Those’ll kill you, you know.” Abbey motioned at the cigarette slowly burning itself out in CJ’s hand.
“So they say. I don’t know if you can trust doctors, though. Especially Surgeon Generals, they just get picked out of a hat by those political hacks up in Washington.” Abbey half snorted when she laughed and CJ grinned at her from the shadows. “That wasn’t very ladylike for a First Lady.”
“Yeah, well, you keep that to yourself and I’ll spare you a lecture on that cancer stick you’re currently enjoying.” She leaned back against the balcony railing, flicking the almost empty pack over to CJ. CJ caught them from her spot by the post, toying with the cellophane overwrap as she spoke.
“I guess I just like doing whatever it is you’re not supposed to do. Some kind of... James Dean preoccupation or something.” She shook another cigarette down out of the pack and lit it with the smouldering embers of its comrade as she moved to stand beside Abbey. Her exhale sounded more like a sigh than she’d meant it to as she leaned out over the lawn, feeling the mist of the night settle on her skin like moonlight on a lake.
“I’d say you’re a rebel with a cause, Claudia Jean.” Abbey said, bumping CJ’s arm with her own in an attempt to lighten the mood. CJ stood up fully; leaving one hip against the rail she turned towards Abbey. “No fair. Now you’re taller again.” Abbey smiled half-heartedly but CJ ignored the comment.
“You know, it’s funny, but all the girls, they’re supposed to want to be the girlfriend, right? We’re supposed to want to be Natalie Wood. But I always wanted to be Jim. And look where it got me.”
“It got you to the White House, CJ. That’s hardly nothing. And not all the girls wanted to be Judy.” Abbey studied the toes of her shoes as she spoke, unwilling or unable to meet the Press Secretary’s eyes - CJ wasn’t sure which.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Abbey finally looked up. Something in her eyes made CJ look away first.
“So, why aren’t you in there?” CJ nodded her head in the direction of the ball room.
“Why aren’t you?”
“I asked you first.” She flicked the long trail of ashes into the bushes below, taking another drag off the almost forgotten cigarette, more for something to do than anything else.
“What is this, a rerun of Law & Order?” CJ didn’t back down. Abbey sighed. “I’m just sick of it. The smiling, the small talk, the drinking, the dancing. All of it.” She closed her eyes and tipped her head, letting her dark hair fall down around her face, leaving her neck bare to the moonlight playing across it.
“You used to love to dance.”
“I’m a well trained political wife, CJ, whether I want to be or not. I could put Meryl Streep out of business with the performances I’ve put in,” Abbey said dryly, still not looking at her.
“No, I mean, you told me. Once in...was it New Mexico? Arizona? I can’t remember where we were exactly, maybe Tucson or somewhere outside of Phoenix, but you told me you loved to dance.” There was something serious, almost dangerous and almost desperate in CJ’s tone that made Abbey look up.
“You remember that? After all this time and all this... this, you remember that?” Abbey’s voice softened with incredulity, her smile actually finding its way into her eyes for the first time in God knows how long.
“I do.” CJ ducked her head slightly as she smiled back, turning to stare back out across the White House lawn. She really was spectacular when she smiled.
“You’re something else, Miss Cregg.” Abbey whispered, looking sideways at the other woman.
“ ‘Something else’, huh? And what would that ‘something else’ be? A hopeless romantic idiot?” CJ cracked a grin despite the edge to her words.
“Well, that,” Abbey laughed, “but I was going to say sweet. And that’s a rare commodity in this town, so don’t ever lose it, ok?” She placed her hand on CJ’s back as she moved to leave, placing a soft kiss on CJ’s upper arm.
CJ blinked at her before finally murmuring, “Okay.”
Abbey smiled and began to make her way back towards the party. Just before she opened the doors she heard an indignant “Ow! Son of a-” as CJ’s long forgotten cigarette burned itself down to the filter. She glanced back over her shoulder at CJ, who shot her an embarrassed grin and rubbed her slightly singed fingers against her dress. Abbey cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Do I have to say I told you so, or...?”
“I guess I never considered that particular risk.”
Abbey smiled as she turned back towards the doors.
“Give them up, CJ. We want you around for a long time yet.”
Author:
sterling_sky
Rating: G. Sorry, guys. Eventually, I promise. ;)
Word Count: 870ish.
Summary: James Dean, cigarettes, White House balconies and Tucson, Arizona.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Sorkin/NBC et al. Purely for pleasure, not for profit.
A/N: I liked this one better in my head, but mcgarrygirl78 made me like it enough on paper to post it. It occurs to me that I kind of stole my title from a Melissa Etheridge song, but I'm sure she won't mind. Love it? Hate it? Let me know and I will be yours forever. :)
“Mrs. Bartlet.” CJ was somehow not surprised to see her out on the balcony. She’d caught the First Lady’s eye a few times from across the crowded ball room and though Abbey returned her smile each time, she could tell that for whatever reason, the other woman’s heart just wasn’t in it tonight.
“Those’ll kill you, you know.” Abbey motioned at the cigarette slowly burning itself out in CJ’s hand.
“So they say. I don’t know if you can trust doctors, though. Especially Surgeon Generals, they just get picked out of a hat by those political hacks up in Washington.” Abbey half snorted when she laughed and CJ grinned at her from the shadows. “That wasn’t very ladylike for a First Lady.”
“Yeah, well, you keep that to yourself and I’ll spare you a lecture on that cancer stick you’re currently enjoying.” She leaned back against the balcony railing, flicking the almost empty pack over to CJ. CJ caught them from her spot by the post, toying with the cellophane overwrap as she spoke.
“I guess I just like doing whatever it is you’re not supposed to do. Some kind of... James Dean preoccupation or something.” She shook another cigarette down out of the pack and lit it with the smouldering embers of its comrade as she moved to stand beside Abbey. Her exhale sounded more like a sigh than she’d meant it to as she leaned out over the lawn, feeling the mist of the night settle on her skin like moonlight on a lake.
“I’d say you’re a rebel with a cause, Claudia Jean.” Abbey said, bumping CJ’s arm with her own in an attempt to lighten the mood. CJ stood up fully; leaving one hip against the rail she turned towards Abbey. “No fair. Now you’re taller again.” Abbey smiled half-heartedly but CJ ignored the comment.
“You know, it’s funny, but all the girls, they’re supposed to want to be the girlfriend, right? We’re supposed to want to be Natalie Wood. But I always wanted to be Jim. And look where it got me.”
“It got you to the White House, CJ. That’s hardly nothing. And not all the girls wanted to be Judy.” Abbey studied the toes of her shoes as she spoke, unwilling or unable to meet the Press Secretary’s eyes - CJ wasn’t sure which.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Abbey finally looked up. Something in her eyes made CJ look away first.
“So, why aren’t you in there?” CJ nodded her head in the direction of the ball room.
“Why aren’t you?”
“I asked you first.” She flicked the long trail of ashes into the bushes below, taking another drag off the almost forgotten cigarette, more for something to do than anything else.
“What is this, a rerun of Law & Order?” CJ didn’t back down. Abbey sighed. “I’m just sick of it. The smiling, the small talk, the drinking, the dancing. All of it.” She closed her eyes and tipped her head, letting her dark hair fall down around her face, leaving her neck bare to the moonlight playing across it.
“You used to love to dance.”
“I’m a well trained political wife, CJ, whether I want to be or not. I could put Meryl Streep out of business with the performances I’ve put in,” Abbey said dryly, still not looking at her.
“No, I mean, you told me. Once in...was it New Mexico? Arizona? I can’t remember where we were exactly, maybe Tucson or somewhere outside of Phoenix, but you told me you loved to dance.” There was something serious, almost dangerous and almost desperate in CJ’s tone that made Abbey look up.
“You remember that? After all this time and all this... this, you remember that?” Abbey’s voice softened with incredulity, her smile actually finding its way into her eyes for the first time in God knows how long.
“I do.” CJ ducked her head slightly as she smiled back, turning to stare back out across the White House lawn. She really was spectacular when she smiled.
“You’re something else, Miss Cregg.” Abbey whispered, looking sideways at the other woman.
“ ‘Something else’, huh? And what would that ‘something else’ be? A hopeless romantic idiot?” CJ cracked a grin despite the edge to her words.
“Well, that,” Abbey laughed, “but I was going to say sweet. And that’s a rare commodity in this town, so don’t ever lose it, ok?” She placed her hand on CJ’s back as she moved to leave, placing a soft kiss on CJ’s upper arm.
CJ blinked at her before finally murmuring, “Okay.”
Abbey smiled and began to make her way back towards the party. Just before she opened the doors she heard an indignant “Ow! Son of a-” as CJ’s long forgotten cigarette burned itself down to the filter. She glanced back over her shoulder at CJ, who shot her an embarrassed grin and rubbed her slightly singed fingers against her dress. Abbey cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Do I have to say I told you so, or...?”
“I guess I never considered that particular risk.”
Abbey smiled as she turned back towards the doors.
“Give them up, CJ. We want you around for a long time yet.”