Bouncing Back

by: Rhonda and Evelyn

Character(s): The Women of the West Wing
Pairing(s): Josh/Donna, CJ/Danny, Toby/Andi, Zoey/Charlie, Will/Ainsley
Category(s): Humor, Romance, Post Ep
Rating: TEEN
Disclaimer: They're not ours and never will be.
Summary: Post-episode story for Inauguration: Over There
Spoiler: Red Haven's On Fire
Feedback: Greatly Appreciated
Authors Note: This is a sequel to Bouncing Inaugural Balls. Thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback. We had such a good time with these characters that we couldn't resist bringing them back for a little more fun. Enjoy!

"What does poison ivy look like? Anything like what we're lying in?" Speaking to the man on his left, Will pushed up his glasses and scratched at his neck as he lay on his stomach in a brushy spot, deep in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland.

"Shut up!" Charlie hissed, swinging an elbow into Will's ribs to emphasize his statement, all the while continuing to stare at the wooden lean-to through his night-vision goggles.

Undeterred, Will continued his whispered commentary. "How come I'm the only one without goggles? You don't need me for this mission. I could have stayed back at the cabin with Ainsley. She wasn't feeling well, you know. She's allergic to..."

This time it was Danny who responded with a glancing slap to the top of Will's head.

"Hey!" Will rubbed his head and glared at the red-headed reporter lying next to him on his right.

"Spider," Danny mumbled, hiding a smile. He hadn't had this much fun in years, maybe never since he'd spent most of his youth either delivering newspapers or writing for them. He didn't think he'd even been camping until college. Pushing back the thought that he'd missed an opportunity with CJ, Danny instead concentrated on enjoying the moment.

Will finished brushing his hand through his hair and looked over his shoulder at the shadowy figure standing next to a tree several yards away. "Why do we have to lay here on the ground and he doesn't?"

"I told you, he's guarding our flank."

"Right," Will sarcastically commented. "Toby just refused to get dirty, didn't he?"

"He doesn't like the outdoors," Danny commented, a large grin spreading beneath the heavy goggles obscuring his features. "I'm surprised he's even here. Charlie must be blackmailing him too. I could use a story for Monday's edition."

"Just keep your butt out of my business," Toby warned, chuckling for the first time since they'd snuck away from New Laurel Cabin during the confusion of the fire alarm.

"Loose lips, Charlie?" Danny flipped up his goggles and glared at the young Presidential aide. "I thought we had a deal?"

Charlie ignored him and pushed up the sleeve on his shirt, exposing his watch. Checking the time as the watch face illuminated for a few seconds, he whispered, "Two minutes. Everyone know what they're supposed to do?"

"Check," Toby replied quickly.

"No," the young speechwriter answered nervously.

"Yeah. Although since you ratted me out, you're gonna owe me one now," Danny complained.

"I didn't tell Toby about CJ's hand getting stuck on your butt. There were others in the room if you'll remember."

"How could CJ possibly get her hand stuck..." Will wondered aloud.

"Shut up. It's time." Charlie took out a small transmitter and pushed a button.

Will whispered, "Uh, Charlie? Perhaps you didn't hear me. I said, no when you inquired as to..."

"Shut up."

The four men stared in the direction of the wooden lean-to, all of them smiling when the screaming began.

"Where the hell are they?" CJ demanded, crossing the conference room from where she'd been talking to the Secret Service detail. The all-clear had been given and the women, who had been directed to the pool area when the alarm had first sounded, had now been hustled into the conference room of New Laurel Lodge and instructed to stay put.

"Who?" Andi asked, continuing to nibble away at the triple-decker sandwich she'd insisted upon making before responding to the fire drill.

"You don't notice that someone is missing?" The Press Secretary looked incredulously at the pregnant Congresswoman. "Someone special - or at least someone who has played a big role in your life?"

Andrea Wyatt stopped eating for a moment, and gave her tall friend a blank look.

"The guy who makes you sandwiches," CJ hissed in exasperation. "But for that matter where are Danny, Charlie, Will, Mac? Even the President is missing."

"You're right," the light beginning to dawn for the pregnant redhead. "Where the hell is Toby? He has my bottle of root beer," she humpfed. "He hustled me out to the pool area so fast I barely had time to snatch a few extra olives. Then he headed for the woods. I thought he had to pee. I'm not the only one with a small bladder," she confided. "You think they all have bladder problems?"

It was CJ's turn to look at her friend blankly. Just then, the diminutive Republican joined them. "Could I have a bite of your sandwich? I'm starving."

The Congresswoman glared at the tiny blonde who was staring at her sandwich with predatory eyes. She reluctantly handed over her late night snack. "You know I'm eating for three."

"Mhmmmderstand," Ainsley mumbled trying to get her mouth around the mile-high snack. "But I have this fast metabolism."

"Where's Will?" CJ pressed. "I thought I saw you leading him out to the pool area when the alarm went off."

"His glasses got foggy in the shower. I kept wiping them off, but they'd just fog up again. Of course he kept his eyes shut when we were... " the blonde lawyer blushed. "Anyway, I had to lead him out to the pool area until his glasses unfogged. But then he mumbled something and when he said mission, I thought he was talking about the missionary position. Personally I prefer..."

"He went on a mission too?" Zoey asked, joining the group.

"What do you mean, too?" Andi demanded.

"Charlie and I were watching a movie together when the alarm went off," Zoey began.

"Which explains the hickey," Andi observed. Zoey's hand flew to her neck while she glanced frantically around the room trying to hone in on the location of her mother. She relaxed when she noticed that Abbey was across the room talking into the walkie-talkie of one of the agents. Zoey pulled up the collar of her shirt to cover the questionable mark.

"Anyway, we rushed out of the den to the pool area and the next thing I know, Charlie's racing to the woods announcing that he was on a special mission."

"So Toby, Will, and Charlie are on a mission," CJ mused. "And I'm guessing that Danny and Josh are with them."

"Josh isn't with them," Ainsley observed.

The other women spun around the room looking for the Deputy Chief of Staff.

"He's not here," Ainsley explained. "I guess he's monitoring the situation from the closet. There must be some kind of secure communications equipment in there because he and Donna have been in the closet ever since we got the all-clear sign."

"I think the only thing Mr. Lyman is monitoring is the condition of his..."

"Mom!"

Abbey smirked as she joined the other women. "Fine, Sweetie. Joy stick. Is that delicate enough for your young ears, Miss I've-Got-A-New-Hickey? "

Zoey blushed, her hand checking that the collar was still covering the mark.

"Got ya!" The First Lady gave a deep-throated laugh. "I think I've got a pretty good idea of where to find the rest of the men of the West Wing. Shall we join them?"

"What are they doing?"

"They ran out of the lean-to. Now, they're fighting. She just slapped his slimy green..." Charlie chuckled, relishing the sight of Jean-Paul being abused by the First Lady's new Chief of Staff.

"Let me see? Please?" Will asked Danny, knowing that Charlie wasn't going to miss a second of seeing his rival's hazing.

"No way, man. You have no idea what I gave up to be here." Danny shifted uncomfortably on the ground. "Ask your boss for his goggles."

Before Will could respond, Danny added, "Geez - she's got a mean right hook. Charlie, I don't think they're even going to notice all those stick figures you hung from the tree branches."

"I said please," Will whined.

Danny shrugged. "So? You think being polite is gonna get you anywhere. Hasn't being around Toby taught you anything yet?"

"Quiet! They're gonna hear you two." Charlie flipped a switch on the little black box he had in his left hand.

"How could they hear us over all that screaming?" Will argued. He held out his hand for Danny's goggles.

Danny ignored him and scooted over a few feet, well out of arm's reach.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped and the sound of wolves took its place, the volume slowly increasing as though the pack were getting nearer.

As the guys looked on, Jean-Paul shouted something in French and Amy responded with a very American curse.

Charlie muttered in disgust. "I can't believe it. That French weeny went up a tree and left her on the ground - defenseless."

"From all I've heard, Amy Gardner is hardly defenseless," Danny retorted, thinking of the woman's skill with sharp objects.

"Toby, can I...where did he go?" A frustrated Will squinted, trying to see Toby in the darkness. Toby definitely wasn't leaning against the tree he'd adopted.

"He's running the hologram projector." Mac emerged from the night in full camouflage, his craggy face painted with black and green stripes.

"Cool." Will pushed up his wire-rimmed glasses and grinned up at the older man, grinning even wider when the cabby tossed him a set of the highly coveted goggles.

Danny looked from the cab driver to a smiling Charlie and shook his head in disbelief. "Damn. I'm getting old - ten years ago I would have figured it out the first night you picked us up. Special Forces?"

Mac bent down on one knee and used his own goggles to survey the battlefield. "Nah. The Agency, retired. Let's get this show on the road."

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9a | 9b

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