Title: Control Issues Author: Penemuel Archive: Sure, just let me know where if other than list archive Part: 4/? Pairing: Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn, Leo McGarry/Jed Bartlet/Abbey Bartlet, Leo McGarry/John Hoynes Rating: NC-17 Warnings: none Notes: none, really. Although can you tell I'm an HHS employee who's still waiting for the budget to be signed? ;) Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm just playing with them for a while and will give them back when done. They might be a little sticky, though. Control Issues by Penemuel Part 4 When I woke up it was still dark outside. I sat up to peer at the clock and felt Jed shift in his sleep next to me. I wanted so much to stay in bed and just curl up next to him again, but he had to be up in about 50 minutes... I leaned over to kiss him gently on the cheek, and Abbey woke up to peer at me. "Leo?" "Yeah, Abbey. It's morning, I gotta take a shower and get home to change, and you two have about 48 minutes before they're gonna be calling him to wake him up..." I explained quietly. Jed shifted again and grunted, opening one eye and glowering up at us balefully. "Well, they won't have to because you just did..." "Honey, don't blame Leo," Abbey soothed, "He wanted to make sure you and I had some time together before you leave today, remember?" Jed groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, then stretched and rolled over to face me. "I'd really like to stay in bed today..." "No can do, Jed," I answered softly, sighing as his arms slid around me. "Stop that," I whispered as he nuzzled against my chest and began nibbling gently. "This time is for you and Abbey -- I have to take a shower, get back to my place and change, then come back here for work. *You* have to make love with your wife..." Who obviously was groping something sensitive because Jed suddenly gasped and then chuckled. "I see your point, Leo," he murmured, then he kissed me and said, "I'll see you at work..." I reluctantly climbed out of bed as he turned back to Abbey, the two of them kissing passionately as I walked over to the dresser and opened the bottom drawer; reached into the back for my spare shorts, undershirt, and socks. I'd walk out of here in the same shirt and pants I had yesterday, and tell anyone who asked that I spent the night on the couch after a late night of strategy planning. Jed, Abbey, and I had this down to a science. I shut myself in the bathroom and stripped down to shower, trying to ignore the sounds coming from the bedroom. God -- the two of them could be *so* hot -- by the time I stepped into the shower, mental images of Abbey straddling Jed and arching in pleasure had me as hard as a rock. It didn't take long to figure out that a cold shower just wasn't going to do the trick, so once I'd lathered up really good, I took my own cock in hand and started to stroke, leaning against the wall with one arm and resting my forehead on that arm to steady myself. I let myself think about the two of them, Jed thrusting up into Abbey as he stroked every part of her he could reach, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her down onto him as he thrust into her warm wetness... Oh god, yeah -- and Abbey going wild, squeezing her legs around Jed and riding him for all he was worth, arching in pleasure and throwing her head back; moaning, her hair flying with the motion as they both cried out and-- oh *god* -- YES! As the spasms faded and my legs stopped trembling, I shook my head and chuckled quietly, then finished my shower. Here I was, jacking off in my best friend's shower while I fantasized about what he and his wife were doing in the next room. I shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbed the towel and started drying myself before I could really think about what that might say about me... I finger-combed what there is of my hair into some semblance of neatness, then pulled on the underclothes quickly. I hoped there wasn't anything too exciting going on out in the bedroom, because I still had to get the rest of my clothes and my shoes, and I didn't really need to get distracted again. I opened the bathroom door cautiously and saw Abbey and Jed snuggling under the covers. Thank god! I walked over to the pile of my clothes and picked up my shirt, started pulling it on as both Jed and Abbey looked up at me. "Are you okay, Leo?" Abbey asked softly. "Yeah, I'm good. I'll get out of your hair now, though," I said, dressing quickly. "You've got about 25 more minutes of privacy -- If I run into anyone, I'll make sure they don't bother you, okay?" "That sounds like an excellent idea," Jed said, doing something under the covers that made Abbey giggle. Abbey giggling was *definitely* my cue to go... I finished dressing out in the living room, then slung my jacket over my shoulder and exited the Residence. The agent on duty at the door nodded a greeting but made no other comment, but I could hear Ron and someone else approaching -- ah, it was Charlie. Good. "Leo?" Charlie asked when he saw me, "Is something wrong?" "Nah -- although I wouldn't bother him quite yet. He's in there with his wife and I think he'd be a little upset if they're interrupted..." I winked at him and his eyes widened, then he smiled. "Got it," he said, nodding. Ron looked at me and said, "You really should have let someone drive you home last night, Mr. McGarry -- you don't have to sleep on the couch." "Ah, don't worry about it -- I slept in worse places during the campaign -- besides, it's a nice couch." I smiled, then pulled my keys out of my pocket, "So, give 'em a few more minutes, and I'll be back in a bit." --==**==-- Once they left for the summit the days were so busy, filled with things that had to get done despite half of the senior staff being out of the country. Fighting with Congress over the federal budget and other similar exercises in futility didn't stop just because one of the main heavy-hitters on our side wasn't here to do it. Instead, poor Leo had to split his time between keeping things moving smoothly in the West Wing itself and arguing with obstructionists on the Hill. He sent me over for a couple of meetings, mainly the ones where he knew I could argue circles around the others on the issues involved, but for the most part he handled any that couldn't be rescheduled. And when the first footage of the summit hit CNN, all of us were glued to the tube. There was Josh, sitting in the back and looking like he was not only dying of boredom, but also pulling the rest of his hair out. It was only when he called me that night that I found out they'd been having meetings around the clock... Poor Josh, no wonder he looked so frazzled! Of course, I had to keep personal comments down to a minimum, not knowing how private an area he really was calling from, but I still told him I loved him before we hung up. He chuckled quietly and said, "Love you, too," barely loud enough for me to hear. Then I could hear Toby talking in the background, complaining about something, as usual... On the third morning I came in early, giving up the pretense of trying to sleep. They'd be coming home today, and everything would be much better once they were out of danger. I knew everyone was just as tense as I was considering the situation, but I still felt a little silly. So I sat in the mess and watched the early morning CNN reports -- and tried not to smile too much as they showed a clip of President Bartlet speaking to someone while off in the background Toby was whispering something to Josh, who seemed to be zoning out completely. Poor Josh -- when he was really ragged, he looked it. He just wasn't good at faking it like the rest of us. When he got home, I'd give him a nice backrub, feed him a tasty dinner and give him a couple of nice strong imported beers, then pour him into bed and make sure he gets a good night's sleep. He really looked like he needed it. I watched a little more, then grabbed my coffee and headed for my office, suddenly struck by something on the way there. A little late to think of it now, but -- I had to find CJ... And lucky for me there she was, just arriving. "CJ!" I called, hurrying to catch her before Carol could monopolize her attention. "CJ!" "'Morning, Sam. Can this wait? I've gotta--" "Actually, it'll only take a couple of seconds, CJ -- your office?" and I walked right in and stood there waiting for her until she finally followed me in, glancing back at Carol with one of her 'let me deal with the puppy' looks. "What?" lt's hard to be bold in the face of CJ in 'irritated because I was busy' mode, but I took a deep breath and said, "We weren't trying to send a message, CJ -- if anyone asks, there is no message." CJ's eyes widened and she peered down at me, then said, "Okay, that's good, Sam. Now, what the heck are you talking about?" Oh. "The summit meeting," I explained, realizing that no, she obviously hadn't been reading my mind, "Both of the senior staff members who went along are Jewish. I just realized today, and some of the reporters might--" "Sam, they're not going to notice that kind of thing," she said, her tone suggesting that I'd gone completely insane. "They haven't yet, and by today they're going to be too busy asking about what's going to happen if there's no agreement." "Just in case someone *does* notice -- you know they ask crazy questions sometimes, like why are there fifteen pens when his name has thirteen letters. There is no message." She sighed -- I think she was going to call me 'Freak-boy' again... "Okay, Sam, there is no message. Man, you need to *relax*... Josh'll be fine, and he'll be home tonight. Stop drinking so much coffee and you'll feel better." Josh'll be--? Oh boy... I smiled sheepishly and headed for the door, then said, "No message." "I got it, Sam. Go!" I hurried out of her office before she could throw something at me, and dropped my stuff off in my office before going to check with Leo for any specific assignments for the day. Then -- after I drank more of the coffee CJ suggested I cut back on -- I walked to Leo's office and stopped short when I realized that his door was shut and Margaret was standing near it. "Margaret?" "He's in there with the Vice President, Sam. They should be done soon," she told me, looking up at me and smiling that odd little smile she's got. "Oh." Well, of course he's in there with the Vice President -- they've got to take care of things while the President isn't here... "You weren't eavesdropping, were you?" "I think they're talking about the budget..." "Oh. That's good..." Damn, I'm glad Cathy and Donna don't do that... "So. I'll just sit and wait then?" Margaret nodded and repeated, "They should be done soon." And then she watched me sit and reluctantly returned to her own chair when she realized I disapproved of her listening in. I hoped it wasn't something she did *all* the time -- especially if Leo *had* been trying to catch a few winks and had an erotic dream the other day... --==**==-- "Leo? Did you hear what I said, Leo? I'm not any happier with this bullshit than you are..." Oh god -- here we were discussing another fight over the budget, and I was staring at his lips and wondering what it would feel like to kiss him. This was bad. Very, very bad. I needed to get myself back under control; I needed Jed back home in one piece -- and I needed to figure out what the hell we had been talking about a moment ago... "I'm sorry, John, my mind was wandering..." I admitted, dragging my stare back to his eyes instead of those lips. "Leo, he'll be *fine*. They're going to agree to a cease fire that no one will listen to anyway, and he'll be flying home this afternoon. Stop worrying..." "Sorry..." I stood up and started to pace -- just couldn't keep on sitting there with him looking at me like that... I was starting to find that slight drawl in his voice appealing, and *that* definitely couldn't be allowed to continue! "Look, I'll make some phonecalls, see what I can do to try and break this stupid deadlock, okay?" Oh -- the HHS budget -- that was it! "I'm not betting you'd have much better luck than I did, though. They're being stubborn mules and they're not going to move for *any* Democrat..." "I know, Leo. But I want to try... I'll probably be back over here later, pissed off and ready to bust heads just like I heard you were yesterday evening. Wish I'd seen that..." I spun and stared at him for a moment, realizing that gleam in his eyes was back. "No, you don't," I stated, and then he was suddenly on his feet and taking a step closer... "Yes, I do," he purred quietly, reaching out to brush his fingertips lightly across my lips. "You can't imagine how seeing you in that kind of wild fury affects me..." "John, *not* here -- this is my office, and I will not compromise my position or embarrass the President by participating in that kind of activity here. Do you understand me?" I couldn't raise my voice, in case Margaret was listening again, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that not only did he understand, but he would obey any command I gave him at the moment. I desperately wished we weren't here right now, because memories of that damned dream hit me full force and suddenly more than anything I wanted to be fucking his mouth... And then he swallowed and let his hand drop to his side, and when he met my gaze I could see how dilated his eyes were... "Yes, Sir," he whispered, "I understand you, Sir..." Jesus! Smug bastard knew exactly what he was doing to me! And then he turned away and headed for the door, stopping before he reached it and looking back at me where I still stood with my hand gripping the back of a chair so hard my knuckles ached. "I'll make those calls and let you know if I have any luck." And then he flashed me one of his incredible smiles, and opened the door to walk out. "Thanks, John," I managed to say, hoping my voice sounded normal. Then he was striding down the corridor, and Margaret was in the doorway with Sam right on her heels. I took a deep breath and finally let go my death grip on the chair, then walked to my desk and sat down. "Yeah, Margaret?" "Sam's here to see you." "Yes, I can see that. Thank you, Margaret... Sam, sit down -- we've got a busy day..." --==**==-- By the time they arrived home, I was more than ready to tell half of Congress to just go fuck themselves I was so tired of idiocy. Couldn't they see that if they kept up this way we'd still be fighting about the federal budget by election day?! Even the President had made more progress than we had, at least managing to get the Israelis and the Palestinians to agree to further meetings and a cease-fire... When Josh came in, I was sitting at my desk, staring at a copy of the latest version of the HHS budget as if it were written in hieroglyphics. "Hey," he said in greeting, sitting down in a chair in front of me. "What's that?" "Something that's going nowhere, and not even fast," I grumbled. Then I let it flop closed and stood up. "I am *so* glad you're home safe, Josh -- let's just go home, okay?" I walked around my desk to stand next to him. He studied me for a long moment, then stood up and hugged me, not caring who saw through the blinds. "Don't let them get to you, Sam," he whispered, "It's okay, Love, I'm here, now. I'll go beat their heads in tomorrow..." I was so frustrated I started crying -- I couldn't help it... Without another word, Josh sat me down in the chair he'd been sitting in and then drew all of the blinds. Then he returned to my side and knelt, and whispered, "Oh, Sam, I'm so sorry..." "Not your fault," I managed to say, and then the rest of it all came out in a rush. "I'm just so tired of it and so frustrated and I was so worried and wanted to take you home and feed you and then give you a backrub and pour you into bed but now you're taking care of me again..." "Wow..." "And Leo and Hoynes already tried beating heads, so they're not going to pay attention when you do it..." "Hey," he murmured, "I'm better at beating heads than the two of them, *they* still have to be tactful." He reached out and gently wiped away my tears, then asked, "It's been a tough couple of days, huh?" I sniffled and nodded, then asked, "Tissue?" He gave me a tissue and I blew my nose, then took the next tissue which he already held ready for me. That one I used to dry my eyes, feeling like an idiot for crying on him like that. I took a deep breath and looked up at him; found him smiling down at me with the sweetest look on his face. "You okay, Sam?" he asked softly. "Yeah. I feel like an idiot..." "Don't feel like an idiot, Sam, you've been under a lot of stress and you're always keeping yourself so much in control. We're going to get you home, and we're gonna call out for delivery, drink a couple of beers, and then we're *both* gonna pour ourselves into bed and *rest*." Then he looked back at the bill on my desk and said, "And that piece of crap is going to stay *here*, all by its lonesome. It doesn't deserve to have a good night." The look on his face made me laugh out loud, and he smiled broadly in response. I felt so much better already that when I stood up I hugged him again. "I love you, Josh," I whispered in his ear. "Sam, I--" CJ's voice burst in, quickly followed by an "Oh," and the sound of my door slamming closed again. "Damn..." Josh gasped, trying to step back. I kept an arm around his waist and opened the door again. "What, CJ? We're going home..." I said, finding her standing right outside my door. "I need to relax, like you said earlier." "Sam, you gotta be careful," she said softly, looking from me to Josh. "Jesus, Josh, *breathe*..." "CJ," he whispered, "Can we help you?" She noticed that I was refusing to let go of Josh, and heaved a sigh before walking into my office and shutting the door behind her. "You boys are asking for trouble..." "CJ, I had a crappy day. My best friend was comforting me when I was having a little crisis," I explained. "Now, we're leaving, so what did you need?" "How did you know?" "How did I know what?" I asked, totally confused now. "How did you know Danny was going to ask about the message?" "Because we're both freaks, CJ, you know that..." I answered with a smile, "And I didn't *know*, I just felt that someone *might*. So, it was Danny, huh?" "Who *else*?" CJ answered. "Did he believe you when you told him there was no message?" I asked. "*What* message are you two talking about?" Josh asked, and I couldn't help laughing at his expression. "The one they think we were sending by having you *and* Toby accompanying the President on a summit between Israel and the Palestinians..." I explained. "Wha-- oh. I never even *thought* about it!" Josh said, frowning. "There *was* no message!" "We know," CJ and I both said. And then CJ continued on, "Probably no one thought about it until Danny asked. Of course, he smiled when I said there was no message -- I have no idea if it means he believed me -- knowing him, he never thought there was one, he just wanted to give me a hard time..." "That's Danny for you. Don't worry about it, CJ," Josh said, "Go home, take it easy, put your feet up...I know *we* are. Goodnight..." I smiled and said, "Seriously, CJ, don't worry about it. Danny's being a pain in the ass -- you told him we sent the best people for the job and he knows you're telling him the truth." "Well," she hedged, smiling at me and glancing up at Josh for a moment, "I didn't actually tell him we sent the best people for the job -- I told him Toby went because he was the best person for the job, and Josh went because we weren't about to have him here with both the President and Leo gone..." "CJ!" Josh blurted, "Don't tell Danny that -- it'll be all over the Post that I'm incompetent!" "God, Josh," CJ laughed, "You're more fun to play with than Danny is!" Josh leveled a poisonous glare at her and said, "We're leaving now. Goodnight." "Party pooper," CJ chuckled, moving aside and letting us go. Josh stayed true to his word -- after a tasty dinner of orange beef and General Tso's chicken and a couple of Sam Adams cream stouts, and a nice warm bath (conserving water, of course...), we climbed into bed and snuggled. I was wiped from my crappy day, and jet lag and 'round the clock meetings had taken their toll on Josh, so beyond a little kissing and cuddling we weren't up for much. That was okay, though, because we were together and safe, and Congressional assholes aside, all was right with the world... To be continued...