---
One beer, and Mandy's following CJ around like some little dog. Sure,
she had the beer before the party even started, and real fast too,
but working in the West Wing is still so new and nerve-wracking.
CJ huddles close to Josh and Toby: their elbows form a wall, a
triangle, a little space for just the three of them. CJ leans her
head to one side (Mandy thinks she does this to make herself appear
shorter, for the men), Josh is looking pale, but tries to smile, and
Toby... She had her revenge, tonight, after all this time. She
finally got to him, payback for all the times he screwed her over,
during the campaign.
It's not Josh, tonight; it's certainly not Toby, but Mandy has to,
she just has to, get close to CJ, and so she walks up to them, she
ignores the way they look at her, she crams inside the wall of arms
and elbows, she is in.
Toby shifts on his feet, looks this way and that.
"I gotta..." and he leaves, he goes to sit on a couch, and he won't
look at Mandy.
CJ's ignoring her, too, she keeps talking to Josh about crabs, of all
things. Mandy, needing her attention, desperate for a look, a word,
desperate for Josh to see that hey, Mandy cannot be ignored - Mandy
speaks.
"I thought you were talking about wolves tonight."
CJ gives her this cool, quick glance.
"I am capable of changing the subject. Mandy."
Josh looks over Mandy's head, and the way people around them shift,
subtly, tells Mandy that the President is arriving. Or Leo: he
sometimes has more weight than the President.
"I have to..." and he gives CJ, and CJ alone, this apology, with
his
eyes. She smiles at him and as he walks by her, touches his arm
lightly. His lips form the words "thank you": they speak without
words.
"Do you sleep with him?" says Mandy, because she can take only so
much. She didn't mean to be loud - but a couple of people turn their
heads. Toby, on his couch, turns his head.
"I need more beer," says CJ. She pretends she didn't hear. She still
doesn't look at Mandy. She just turns on her heel and walks into the
kitchen.
Mandy pursues her. Naturally. She catches up with CJ in the kitchen,
by the fridge. CJ leans in to grab a beer. Mandy ignores the girl,
Zoey, who's by the stove making chili. She puts a hand on CJ's wrist,
not lightly. CJ spins, comes face to face with Mandy, finally *looks*
at Mandy.
"Take your hands off me," and her voice is cold.
"You're a fake, CJ, a big fat fake, and you know it. You can screw
all the men in that room, I'm sure you have, but you kissed *me*. You
kissed *me* in that hotel room. And you *liked* it."
There is a light gasp, but not from CJ. Zoey. Mandy spares the girl a
quick look out of the corner of her eye. She'll live.
CJ shakes her head.
"Mandy. Mandy Mandy Mandy. We kissed once, after the election, when
we were all so crazed and we thought it was a whole new world and for
a minute, I loved you because I loved the whole damn world, and I
could have fucked the bell boy, for all I cared. Now, if you can't
get over something that happened years ago, well, that's not my
problem."
"You don't know what you're missing."
CJ smiles.
"Hell, Mandy, I've had women before. I went to college, just like
you. But unlike you, I got over it. See, once you realise you can
have anyone you want, you get a little picky."
She shakes off Mandy's now limp hand.
"But I guess you wouldn't know about that."
"Bitch."
CJ walks to the kitchen door.
"Don't think I don't know what you did to Toby today. Do it again and
see if you get to keep your job."
CJ turns, to leave, and then she sees Zoey. She is surprised; her
mouth forms an "oh"... but then she just smiles quickly at the girl,
shrugs, and leaves.
After all, CJ won the fight, so Mandy gets to do the cleanup.
She clears her throat.
"We're just drunk. Forget it, Zoey."
Zoey just looks at her with big eyes. Mandy doesn't think she's ever
had a boyfriend.
"Worried about college?"
"No. Not really," says Zoey, and she tries not to squeak.
"Yeahm well..." Mandy gestures at the door. Takes a step.
"Mandy?"
"Yeah?"
"So... are you...?"
"No." Automatic. And too fast.
Mandy tries to think of words that will get her out of this
conversation, out of this kitchen. But then she looks at Zoey again.
The girl isn't disgusted, or upset.
Or maybe she is, but that's not the important thing. Mandy looks into
those big, innocent eyes, and reads... curiosity.
Oh.
And so she does the only thing that she can think of: she walks up to
Zoey and she's pushing her against the wall and she's kissing her.
Softly at first, closed mouth, but then harder, insisting - and Zoey
opens her mouth.
It's not the greatest kiss: it's nothing like the one with CJ, but
then Mandy isn't attracted to Zoey. It is, however, a good kiss, a
nice kiss. Zoey must have had an unofficial boyfriend, at some point.
But then she feels Zoey's hand on her breast, and she breaks the
kiss.
"Drunk. Too drunk," she says in an offhand manner, to make sure Zoey
doesn't read too much into what just happened.
Zoey looks stunned.
"You need to stir the chili."
"Huh?"
"Stir. It's gonna burn, otherwise."
Mandy gestures at the bowl of chili, and Zoey turns, while smoothing
down her hair, to her cooking.
Mandy walks out of the kitchen, leans against the wall. What a day -
CJ, Toby, Zoey. Two out of three, huh.
Sam walks past.
"Hey, Mandy. How was your day?"
She smiles, shrugs. Joins him.
"Oh, I made quite the stir."
"A usual day for our Mandy, then."
She smiles as they walk back to the party.
FINIS
More notes: Many thanks to Leea for beta, and for being MY beta - you
rock.
You can read more about the CJ/Mandy kiss in CGB's story: "Bound to
be Moving On" - it was the inspiration for this story.
And finally, this is for CGB, my partner in crime and Mandylove and
swing stuff and all things fun - love ya.