five votes - a west wing collection

xv

"I got you a present."

Kate Harper leaned against the doorway of her friend's apartment, holding a cold bottle of champagne. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, and a little bribing, to get Josh to let her keep it in his refrigerator, but now, seeing CJ's surprised but appreciative smile, the money spent on a six-pack of Josh's favorite beer was undeniably worth it.

"How did you know I was still here?" CJ asked, her tone more curious than accusatory.

A tiny smile flickered on Kate's face as she stepped fully inside the apartment. "Even Margaret can't resist a good bribe."

Or perhaps it was that Margaret had never much liked Danny Concannon, and wouldn't have minded at all of Kate were to stop CJ running off with him. Kate's smile grew into a small smirk as she remembered how Margaret had responded to her request. "I only do what's best for my boss," she'd said, sliding CJ's schedule- proof that habits don't break as easily as some might think- into Kate's hand.

CJ rolled her eyes good-naturedly, then glanced at the bottle in Kate's hand. "Veuve Clicquot?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kate offered her the bottle, grinning. "Someone knows her champagne," she teased.

CJ laughed dryly. "'Someone' has organized too many state dinners," she replied, only half joking. Taking the bottle, she placed it on the countertop, then opened a cupboard, then chuckled to herself. Opening the cupboard a little more, she revealed the bare shelves to Kate.

"Looks like I don't have any glasses," she observed, closing the cupboard door. "That's okay, they can't be too buried."

CJ turned from the kitchen toward the small living room, and the stacks of boxes Kate hadn't acknowledged until then.

Ignoring the slight twinge in her chest at the obvious sight of CJ's quickly-approaching departure, Kate shrugged. "We can just drink from the bottle," she suggested. "It's not like there's anyone around to see."

CJ let out a short laugh. "I suppose you're right," she replied, turning back to the bottle. "Do you have anything to open this with?"

Kate shook her head absently. Her mind was currently occupied with quite a few other things- namely, how good CJ looked in the photo taped to her refrigerator, and how that photo was with Danny Concannon. Reaching out to lightly touch the corner of the photo, she turned back to her companion. "So..." she began, ignoring the uncomfortably jealous feeling growing in her chest. "California, huh?"

CJ grinned slightly. "L.A. area," she replied, digging around in a box for anything that could help her open the champagne. "Back where I lived be for all of... this." She waved her hand expansively. "Danny couldn't wait to take me out there. He's all ready to give me absolutely everything."

Kate didn't miss the slight edge to her voice. "So, you're just giving all of this up?"

CJ smiled wistfully. "This was never my dream. Not chief of staff, not press secretary... even joining the campaign in the first place took a lot of convincing on To- the team's part."

That surprised Kate a little. She'd never seen CJ fit in anywhere quite so well as at the White House. "You're done with politics?"

CJ's nod, and lack of vocal response, gave away more than she would have liked.

"-And with Josh, and Sam, and Toby, and... the rest of us?" A slight edge had crept into Kate's voice, and CJ flinched slightly.

"I can write letters, and Danny-"

"-is dragging you off to abandon the only friends you've got?" Kate finished, surprising even herself with her sharp tone. Immediately, she wanted to take it back. "I didn't-"

"Why are you so mad at me?" CJ's question was not wholly unexpected, though the hurt tone was. Anger, Kate would have expected, but not the confusion and twinge of pain.

Kate sighed. "I wish I was mad," she muttered under her breath. But in the force of her emotion, she had moved closer to CJ, who therefore heard the comment.

"What do you mean?" CJ had officially given up on the champagne, instead staring curiously at Kate.

The room was so still that Kate was having difficulty breathing. Her eyes flicked to the floor, then the wall, then the photo on the refrigerator, refusing to connect with CJ's gaze.

"What do you mean?" CJ repeated, lifting a hand to grab Kate's elbow.

Instinctively, she flinched away, shocked and embarrassed at the tears that had suddenly blurred her line of vision. "Nothing," she replied, trying to speak around the lump in her throat. "I'm just... too late."

It suddenly occurred to Kate that this whole situation was dumb, that she'd been depending on something that had hardly been there in the first place. A few dinners, one almost-date, and lingering glances were nothing compared to the years Danny had spent wooing her. But still... Kate had felt that there was something, even something small, happening between herself and CJ.

CJ gently tilted her head up, forcing Kate to meet her gaze. "Too late?" she asked slowly, not totally understanding.

Kate, suddenly unable to tear her eyes away from CJ's, nodded, slowly and almost imperceptibly.

"What-" but the rest of CJ's question was cut off as Kate leaned forward and tentatively brushed her lips against those of the taller woman.

For a moment, just long enough for Kate to fully regret her actions, CJ appeared shell shocked, staring at Kate. But just as the blonde began to look away, CJ moved forward, swiftly capturing Kate's lips with her own.

A shocked grasp escaped Kate's lips before she returned the kiss. By the time she had to come up for air, her back was flat against the wall and her hands were tangled in CJ's hair.

Panting slightly, the older woman looked down at Kate. For a moment, she stared at her, then suddenly swatted her arm. "Why didn't you say something sooner, damn it!"

Kate let out a soft snort, and soon they were both laughing, leaning up against the wall.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kate happened to see the bottle of champagne still resting on the countertop. Still giggling, she looked up at CJ. "In the mood for a drink?"

[a/n: can you tell this is based off of champagne from in the heights?? there are parts of this i wanna modify but also i'm too lazy so here you go]