Title: Ticket
Author: A. Magiluna Stormwriter
Feedback address: stormwriter@shatterstorm.net
Date in Calendar: 16 December 2011
Fandom: The West Wing
Pairing: CJ/Ainsley
Rating: PG13 [for language]
Date Written: 19-20 November 2011
Word Count: 890
Written for: Crack!fic Meme of November 2010
Recipient: shatterpath
Prompt: If # 7 was pulled over by a police officer, how would she react?
Summary: Ainsley's gotten her first ticket.
Series: Get What You Need
Sequel to: Just Might Find, Room With a View, Forever, PDA, Honestly and Openly, Secret Santa, At Home, Diffusion
Spoilers: Post-series
Warning: No standard warnings apply.
Feedback: Any and all constructive criticism is welcome.
Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo
Link to: http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/
Archive: ShatterStorm Productions only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…
Advertisement: Part of the FSAC:DD11

Disclaimer: “The West Wing”, the characters and situations depicted are the property of Warner Bros. Television, John Wells Productions, NBC, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. This site is in no way affiliated with "The West Wing", NBC, or any representatives of the actors. This site contains stories between two mature, consenting adult females.

Author's Notes: I truly love writing for this couple, and don't do it nearly enough. Of course, there's the fact that the muses seem to be balking on writing up their wedding ceremony… *rolls eyes* Eventually that'll get written. Until then, I'll keep finding fun little tidbits in their AU to write about for them…

Dedication: My muses, as always…

Beta: Shatterpath, but any remaining errors are mine…

"Ticket"
By A. Magiluna Stormwriter


Being tackled from behind while wielding a sharp knife is never a good thing. Especially when the person tackling you is your fiancée. The instant I realize it's Ainsley gripping me so tightly, I set the knife down and wiggle around to wrap my own arms around her. Stroking her back soothingly, I hope to calm her enough to find out what's happened, but all she does is cry and clutch me tightly.

"Ainsley? Honey, what's wrong?"

She doesn't answer me for a couple of minutes, then she wails, "It was awful!"

"What was awful, honey?" I ask, trying to keep myself from panicking unnecessarily. I hate it when she gets so distraught like this, and I wish she'd tell me what happened. But if I know anything about Ainsley Hayes, it's that she does everything in her own time. I just need to hang on until she's ready, no matter how long that may take.

"This," she finally says, pulling back to shove a piece of paper into my hand.

I take it with mild trepidation, then bite back a laugh when I see what it is. "You got a ticket?" I ask.

"Yes!" There's a sudden stridency to her tone, which hopefully means the histrionics are over for now. "CJ, there was no sign there. I slowed down, because I couldn't remember if there was or not, or if it was a three-way stop instead of a four-way stop. But I didn't see a stop sign of any kind, and there was no one else in the intersection at all, so I continued on through the intersection like I should. I barely got through the intersection when I heard the siren and saw the lights. I don't even know where that damned officer was hiding in his vehicle."

"They can be tricky that way," I reply, but I don't think she even hears me as she continues her tirade.

"Well, of course, I pulled over immediately, assuming that there was some sort of emergency that he needed to get past me to get to, but he never went past me. He pulled his vehicle right up behind me, lights still flashing. Thankfully, he didn't leave the siren going. That would have been mortifying, to say the least. We were just outside of town, you know the intersection I'm talking about, right? The last one before the long stretch of highway until we get closer to the house."

Oh, I know that intersection well. Glancing at the clock, I've a feeling I know which officer gave her the ticket, too. The city council's been talking about replacing the sign for over a year now, but somehow it never quite gets done. And while most of the cops in this town are good about the situation, there's one in particular that likes to up his monthly ticket quota there. Corrupt bastard! Just because he doesn't like that fact that I could probably do parts of his job better than he can, and that I got out of at least three tickets from him in that very intersection over the last year, he's got it out for me. And now he's going after Ainsley? Jackass!

"CJ, are you even listening to me?"

Blinking, I set aside my budding thoughts of revenge and focus on my fiancée again. "Yes, love, I'm listening to you. And I'm guessing that it's Officer Mason that gave you the ticket, too." She nods, confirming my suspicion. "Which means we show up for the court date, and the judge'll throw out the ticket. You're a good driver, Ainsley, this isn't a big deal."

"Isn't a big deal? CJ, I have never once gotten a ticket in my life before this. I am an incredibly careful and conscientious driver. This is absolutely horrible!"

Okay, that I didn't know, but her histrionics make a helluva lot more sense now. Setting the ticket on the counter, I pull Ainsley into a tight embrace, stroking her back gently. "You listen to me, babe, and listen good," I say in a gentler tone than the words would normally get. "This is a bogus ticket from a jackass cop with a huge chip on his shoulder. You and I will make the court appearance, and you will explain everything to the judge, just like you explained it to me. With your perfect driving record, I'm positive that he'll throw this lame ass ticket out the window and you'll be able to keep your record intact. And if not, you do traffic school to get it dropped. We'll get past this, Ainsley, I promise."

"But--"

"Nope, but nothing," I reply, punctuating my words with gentle kisses to her lips. "You trust me, right?" She nods readily, making me smile. "Then trust me when I say that this will be resolved, and it will pass. Regardless of what the judge does, this hasn't changed anything I think or feel about you in the slightest. You are still the most beautiful, incredible, loving, sexy woman I know and my love for you wouldn't change if you had a million speeding tickets."

"But I got a--" I stop her words with another kiss, more insistent this time. When I let her up for air, she grins stupidly at me. "Thank you, CJ."

"You're welcome, babe."