***

Danny dangled the two pass cards in the hallway outside the rooms. "So," he teased. "What are the room arrangements?"

"As Press Secretary and Senior Staff to the President, I think I get my own room." CJ snatched one of the keys.

Carol nodded. "Makes sense."

"Now, hold on-"

CJ opened one of the doors and went inside. "Well, see ya." Then she closed the door on them.

Danny stared at the door, then turned to Carol. She was trying not to laugh.

"Guess it's just you and me." she said, taking his arm. As he continued to look bewildered, she took pity on him. "C'mon, open the door."

"But..."

"She's already half unpacked and the connecting door is open."

Danny relaxed slightly. "Really? I mean, not that I don't like you..."

Carol laughed. "Bet you say that to all the girls who end up in your hotel room. Open the door."

He obeyed without a word.

"Now, do we open the connecting door or let her wonder?" Carol teased him once they were inside.

"You know her so well."

"Of course. I am a great assistant." Carol told him with a small smile. "And not a word about spelling."

He grinned. "Okay. But this could be useful."

Carol smiled. "No kidding. What are you wasting time listening to Josh for?"

He stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Please, the assistants know everything."

"Fair enough. I'll have to think of some questions for you."

Carol just smiled, making no promises. She moved to the connecting door and opened it. "Hey neighbor."

"Took you long enough" CJ told her. She had already claimed a bed and had the contents of her bag on it.

"Had to try out the bed." Carol informed her.

Danny's eyes grew wide as he listened from the other room.

"So, how's Danny in bed?"

"So, so." Carol sighed.

"Hey!" He shouted. "I told you, I don't do my best work under pressure!"

"That's what they all say." Carol called back.

Danny carefully took the grin off his face before going into their room. He whined, "You weren't supposed to say anything."

Carol snorted. "Yeah right."

"What is all this stuff?" He stared at the pile on CJ's bed. "Did your purse explode?"

"Yes." CJ told him, still organizing everything into piles.

"CJ?"

She sighed. "Toothbrush." she threw it at him and he caught it deftly. She never noticed as she continued. "Toothpaste, floss, mouthwash. Make-up." She stopped and put one container back on the bed. "Can't throw that." she muttered. "Sunscreen. Clothes." she caught herself before she threw that and glanced up. "I'd rather you not get your hands on my clothes."

"Your clothes?" Danny grinned and stepped closer. "How much could really fit in that little bag? Not a new suit."

She sighed. "Pajamas and... underwear."

"Ooh." Danny threw what he had in his hands back onto the bed and reached for the bag. She held it behind her back. "Hey, Carol. I promise I'll be better next time if you help me get that bag from her."

Carol laughed as she sorted through her own bag. "Right. I'm going to help you instead of the woman who's in charge of getting me a raise."

"That's nice of you. Thanks." Danny tried to grab the bag from behind CJ's back, but only succeeded in trapping her against the bed and the wall.

"Would you two like to be alone?" Carol broke the silence, smiling broadly.

CJ blushed slightly as she pushed Danny away. "You're not going to see my underwear."

"Oh, one day I will." Danny told her confidently and she turned even redder.

"Daniel."

"At your service."

CJ shook her head, then decided to ignore him and turned to Carol. "What do we want to do for dinner?"

"How about a diner? There must be one around here somewhere."

CJ nodded and picked up the phone to call the front desk. As she spoke to the clerk, Danny reached his hand and grabbed the bag of clothes. She slapped at him, but it was too late. Between her polite comments to the clerk, she mouthed to Danny, "I'll kill you."

He grinned and edged away, knowing he had no intention of actually going through her clothes but content that he had gotten the better of her. His fatal mistake was his focus on CJ. He had forgotten Carol was in the room until the bag was snatched out of his hand and thrown to CJ. As he stared wide-eyed at Carol, CJ caught the bag and sat on it.

She hung up the phone. "Half a mile south."

"South?" Carol asked.

"That's what he said."

"How do we tell which way is south?"

"Don't you have a compass on your bag?"

Carol picked up the tiny key chain attached to her purse. "Yeah. So? Do you know how to use a compass?"

"No, don't you?" CJ stared at her as Carol shook her head. "Then why do you have it?"

"The pretty colors." Carol held it up. "It matches my planner."

"Of course it does." CJ rolled her eyes. "Thank goodness I told the guy we didn't know which direction south was."

"I didn't hear you say that." Danny told her.

"You mean my 'huh?' didn't get that across to you? The guy at the desk had no problem understanding, maybe we should trade you in."

Carol considered. "Was he cute?"

"I don't know. He sounded like he'd be good in bed though."

"Really?" Carol looked interested.

"There's no way you can tell that from a voice." Danny protested.

CJ closed her eyes. "Try it."

"What? CJ, what are you doing?"

She took a deep breath. "Well, based on your voice, I'd say you are-"

He hurriedly placed his hand over her mouth. Her eyes flew open. "If you say I'm bad in bed, I'll prove you wrong right now."

Her stomach clenched but she kept her expression slightly amused as she pried his hand away. "Not tonight dear, I have a headache." Carol laughed as CJ stood and pushed Danny away from the bed and towards the door. "Let's go eat."

"You know." Danny considered. "I've heard that massages ease headaches." He laid his arm on CJ's shoulder and rubbed her neck.

"This headache has been around for awhile." She told him. "Although it did go away for a little over a year. It came back around Christmas."

"Ouch." Danny pulled his hand back to put it over his heart.

"Hey." Carol contemplated. "Danny, didn't you come back around Christmas?"

"Thanks for spelling that out for me, Carol." Danny put a slight emphasis on the 'spelling'.

She groaned. "I think I'm getting a headache."

Danny put his arm around her waist. "Too late to use that excuse, honey. You're supposed to get a headache before sleeping with me."

"Now I understand the problem." Carol nodded.

"I'm going to regret this." Danny tried to talk himself out of asking. "Understand what?"

"Why it was so... bad. You thought I meant sleeping. I meant sex."

"Sex?" Danny stared at her. "Well, you should have specified that." He grabbed her hand. "C'mon, let's go."

CJ laughed and grabbed Carol's shirt to prevent Danny from dragging her back to the room. "Too late, Fishboy. Maybe next time we get stranded."

"Okay." Danny agreed cheerfully. "I'll remember that."

CJ led them through the lobby and turned towards the diner that the front desk had told her about.

"That guy in the lobby was checking you out." Carol stage-whispered to CJ as soon as the door finished closing behind them.

"What?" CJ stopped and turned around. "Who?"

Danny groaned. "No way. I'm hungry."

"Don't you want me to have a social life?" CJ teased him.

"Honestly?"

CJ turned to him, the retort dying as her eyes met his. She cleared her throat and began to walk again. "No."

They walked in silence. Carol tried not to grin and wondered if there was any way to leave them alone for the night. The fact that she knew nothing about the city was a major drawback, she realized. Finally, she gave up. Later she could figure out how to give them at least a little bit of time together.

Danny opened the diner door for them, bowing slightly. Carol curtsied and followed CJ. The server led them to a booth and left menus with them.

"I want breakfast." Carol declared. "Look at those Belgian Waffles."

"Strawberry. Blueberry." CJ stared at the pictures. "They do look good."

Carol turned the page. "Ooh, I want lunch. That sandwich looks good. I can't pronounce it, but I'm sure it's good."

CJ laughed and followed Carol's finger. "And the fries look good too. But those salads-"

Danny groaned. "Rabbit food."

"What are you having? A steak?"

"Maybe." Danny looked at her. "They look really good."

"Ugh." CJ stared at him. "I can hear your arteries clogging from over here."

"Aww." Danny patted her hand. "I knew you cared."

"Yeah, I'd rather not have the important news be interrupted with 'Flash: Senior Correspondent has heart attack in middle of question about UFO's!'"

"I would never ask about UFO's!" he protested.

"That's the part of that statement you're going to disagree with?"

He shrugged.

"Ooh, look at the dinner stuff. I want dinner." Carol broke in.

CJ stared at her for a moment, then laughed.

Carol looked up. "What?"

"Nothing." CJ managed to stop laughing.

Carol shrugged and turned the page in her menu. "I think I'll skip to dessert. Look how good they look."

"Do you know what you want?" the server materialized.

Carol looked up, slightly bewildered. "I don't even know what I want to drink."

"No hurry. I'm Mary, your server. I'll come back." The server left.

"Decide, Carol." CJ ordered her, then looked at her own menu.

"Do you know what you want?" Carol asked, then answered. "A salad I bet."

"Yeah, why?" CJ agreed.

"Live a little." Danny told her. "Be adventurous."

"What are you having?"

"Hamburger." He told her.

"Shocking." She shook her head. "You should get a salad. Or are you scared?"

"I'll get a salad." Danny shut his menu. "If you get a hamburger."

CJ stared at him for a moment, ready to refuse.

"Scared?"

She narrowed her eyes and snapped her menu shut. "I'm getting a burger. Can I get a cheeseburger at least?"

"Sure." He grinned. "I'm not unreasonable."

She rolled eyes, then turned to Carol, still going over the menu. "Carol?"

"Belgian waffle." She shut her menu.

"Really?" Danny asked.

"Yeah." Carol nodded, then moved to open the menu again. "Or maybe-"

CJ eased the menu out of her hands. "Nope, you spoke. You're stuck now."

"Okay, okay." Carol gave in.

Their server returned. "Ready?"

"Yes." CJ pointed to Danny. "He'll have a house salad, light Italian dressing on the side."

Danny smiled grimly. "And she'll have a cheeseburger with extra fries."

"Extra?" CJ questioned him.

"Of course. To replace the ones I steal to have with my salad."

CJ smiled slightly, then turned to Carol.

"Maybe I should have-" Carol had gotten a hold of a menu again.

CJ grabbed the menu out of her hand. "She'll have a Belgian waffle." she told the server.

"What kind of fruit?"

CJ took in the conflicted look on Carol's face. "Strawberry. She'll have strawberry."

Carol nodded, "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Please take the menus away before she changes her mind." Danny urged the server.

Mary smiled. She gathered them as she asked, "Drinks?"

"Milk." Carol answered her.

"Bottled water?" CJ asked. Mary nodded and jotted it down.

"Root beer." Danny said.

"That it?" Mary pocketed her pad as they nodded. "Be back in a minute."

After a few seconds, Danny broke the silence. "So what are we going to do tonight? Go clubbing?"

CJ laughed. "I'm not going clubbing with you."

"You should have some fun, it's your first night off in..." he trailed off.

She thought, then started counting. Finally she gave up. "A long time."

"But no club. Okay, we could go see a movie."

"That'd be fun." Carol agreed.

"Except that I can't sit through a movie without my phone ringing a couple of times." CJ frowned.

"It hasn't gone off in quite awhile, though." Danny pointed out. "Maybe they're figured out how to run the White House without you."

"Or they're still on the plane."

Carol looked at her watch. "I'll side with CJ, they're still on the plane."

Danny grinned widely. "I wonder who's dealing with the Press. Maybe Josh."

CJ's eyes grew wide. She tried to speak but nothing came out.

"Breathe, CJ." Carol told her. "Henry's there, he's trained. I'm sure the Press is in good hands. Danny was just kidding. Right, Danny?" she glared at him.

"Ouch!" Danny's smile faded. "Yeah, okay. I was kidding!"

"Ouch?" CJ regained her voice and was now looking suspiciously at him.

"I... ah, cramp in my.. leg."

CJ grinned as she stared at him. "Carol kicked you, didn't she?"

"What? Why would you think-"

Not taking her eyes from him, she asked, "Carol?"

Carol shrugged, even though CJ wasn't looking at her. "I'm sure you have a better way to get him to agree with you, but us mere mortals have to use force."

CJ blushed and dropped her eyes.

Danny, however, recovered fast. "Oh, no. CJ, you can use force on my anytime you want."

Carol began to giggle and stopped CJ's comeback with her observation, "Look, our drinks."

The waitress put down their drinks, then left.

"Hey, CJ, need some ice to cool your face off?" Carol whispered.

CJ ignored her and busied herself pouring her water into the glass.

Their server returned almost immediately with their food.

Danny stared at his salad, then glanced at CJ. She was looking at her cheeseburger. He cleared his throat and she looked up. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. CJ nodded almost imperceptivity.

Danny grinned and picked up his plate. He slid the cheeseburger across the table towards him, then placed the salad in front of CJ.

Carol stared at them, then shook her head and began to eat her waffles.

"You're not going to eat all those fries, are you Danny?"

He turned his plate to give her easier access. "I ordered extra. Carol, do you want any?"

"Not with waffles, thanks anyway."

CJ snagged a few between bites of her salad.

"Think about what we want to do after dinner." Danny reminded them. CJ and Carol both nodded. They fell silent as they ate.

"I hadn't realized how hungry I was." Danny said when he had finished.

"You must have been." CJ agreed. "You were actually quiet."

"Do either of you want dessert?" Carol asked.

"No." Danny shook his head. "We have all that food back at the hotel."

"True. Okay, we'll just get the check when Mary gets back." CJ reached into her bag for her wallet.

Carol stood up. "I'm going to go fix my make-up. Behave while I'm gone."

CJ stuck her tongue out at Carol's back as she walked away. She turned at Danny's chuckle. "What?"

He just shook his head. "Nothing. There's our waitress."

CJ got their bill and pulled out some money.

"CJ, I'll pay."

"Don't worry about it." Just then her phone rang. She grabbed it and threw the money at Danny. "Pay, I gotta get this, I'll meet you guys outside."

"Guess they landed." Danny muttered.

"What?"

"Oh, Carol." Danny stood. "CJ got a call, I guess Air Force One landed. Let's get out of here."

She reached into her purse, but he stopped her. "CJ said she's paying."

Carol shrugged. "Okay, what about the tip?"

"CJ left more than enough for the tip."

"Leave whatever's left."

"But that's way more than normal." Danny told her, counting the bills in his hand.

"Yeah. Won't break the bank for her, so she leaves extra for the server when she goes out to eat."

"Really?" Danny smiled.

Carol nodded. "Don't mention it to her, she didn't even want me to know. She thinks it's more fun to do something nice if no one will find out."

Danny nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Let's go."

Carol went outside while Danny paid the cashier. By the time he got outside, they were both on their phones. He rolled his eyes and grabbed their arms, dragging them along back to the hotel.

"And remember, do not let Josh in my Press Room. Stand in front of the door if you have to. Thanks Sam." CJ hung up her phone.

"Anything?"

"Danny." CJ bit her lip. "You might not believe me, but I really don't know much. They're not comfortable telling me stuff while I'm on my cell."

"I believe you. And it's fine, just tell me whatever you're allowed to. Right now, I've got two beautiful women on my arms and I don't care about a story."

CJ glanced at her arm, shocked to find it comfortably resting on Danny's arm. She gently pulled herself free. "Sorry. You're going to remember you're a reporter eventually. Then you might think I'm keeping things from you. And you might be right, so I'm sorry."

Danny grabbed CJ's arm again and pulled her closer. "What's going on? What can you tell me?"

"The airport should reopen tomorrow morning, as long as the... authorities don't find out any new information."

"Hey, two-timer." Carol tucked her phone away and tugged her arm free.

"What'd Margaret say?" CJ asked.

"She said that Sam would tell you everything, since they had just talked."

"Then why were you on for so long?"

"Well." Carol grinned. "When you called her before, you neglected to mention Danny was also stuck with us."

CJ groaned. "She's known for what, twenty minutes now?"

"Yeah."

CJ pulled out her phone. It rang and she sighed. She pulled her arm away from Danny and walked ahead a bit, answering the phone on the second ring. "Hey, Ainsley. Oh, I just knew."

"What's that about?" Danny asked as CJ lowered her voice so he couldn't hear.

Carol laughed. "Oh, nothing."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Carol."

"Sorry." she grinned. "I can't be bribed. Ask CJ about it."

"Yeah, maybe I'll luck out and get a straight answer out of her." he said bitterly.

"Danny." Carol bit her lip, then forged ahead. "Keep trying. One of these days..."

"What?"

"I say too much." Carol took his arm. "Just don't give up."

He smiled and put his arm around her waist. "Thanks. You're a good friend. And I sure need one sometimes."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the hotel.

***

Part 3