Pairing: CJ/Toby

Spoilers: None. This is pre-WW. Except you have to know that Andy exists.

Rating: R-ish (I suck at these ratings. There’s mention of sex and some innuendo.)

Summary: “Dear Claudia, You should try not to sleep with your best friend’s boyfriend.”       

Author’s note: So, they keep playing this song on the radio. I only ever really hear the first line because I start picturing CJ and Toby. This isn’t quite what I had in mind, but... . This isn’t a songfic, though.

This is for Angie. (Who probably won’t want the credit once she’s read it.) Thanks for being patient and humoring my current CJ/Ron obsession. Still couldn’t really find Toby for this.

Feedback: Is yummy.

Disclaimers: I don’t own anything. The song belongs to someone, but I don’t even know who sings it. So, please don’t sue me.

Dear Claudia

She’s screwed. In more ways than one. If she didn’t feel she ought to be conflicted, she might laugh at the joke.

She doesn’t.

It wasn’t supposed to happen. It shouldn’t have happened.

But, it has.

If it hadn’t felt as good as it had. If it hadn’t been exhilarating, then there wouldn’t be a problem.

It had been amazing.

What she needs is a plan. A cover-up. A spin. A way to pretend this hasn’t happened. She’ll have to be sure there’s no Deep Throat in this operation. Except there already was. He had called her that. During.

And she had laughed.

That is the worst part. She really likes him. He’s engaging and funny and speaks to her as an equal. He believes her opinion does matter.

And he’s great in bed.

~*~

CJ’s glad that her roommate is in Maryland for Spring Break. It will give her ample time to come up with something. Andrea can never know that she’s done this. With him. Why hadn’t Toby gone with her? It would have made this much simpler. Because if he had gone with Andy, he wouldn’t be asleep. Next to her. Naked.

Andy had been gone a total of eleven hours before they had betrayed her. What kind of a friend was she? And what the hell kind of boyfriend was Toby? CJ thought it would probably help the situation if she could feel some guilt about this thing. If she could stop thinking about different ways to wake up the man sleeping in her bed. Yeah, that would help.

CJ had been living with Andy for two years. Both were in Grad school. Both outspoken feminists interested in changing the world. They had been friends a couple of years before they moved in together. They enjoyed lively conversation and gave memorable parties. And life was about as good as it gets.

And then he showed up in California.

Toby and Andy had dated when she had done her undergrad in New York. Andy had said that he was a good guy. Maybe too driven, too idealistic. And he was a little on the sad side. But, she had enjoyed him. She was more surprised than CJ when he had shown up at their apartment two months ago.

He was looking for the real thing. He hadn’t been able to find it in New York. He’d heard about a guy running for State Senator in California that could be the one. So, here he was. When he found out that the guy was definitely not the real thing, he stuck around anyway.

And he was still here. He and Andy had rekindled their romance and he was living here. Until he found a worthwhile candidate. CJ doesn’t mind having him around. He’s smart and liberal and helps her with some of her papers. He is a brilliant writer.

Andy’s schedule is full this semester. She’s rarely home. CJ and Toby have become good friends in the meantime. Andy had told her that she was glad CJ was keeping Toby company. He was still a little sad. But, he’d do.

CJ couldn’t find the sadness. And after three weeks, she’d stopped looking. She thought Andy was overly critical at times. And that must be the case here. Or, she was confusing passion and longing for sadness. Either way, CJ found herself drawn to him more and more.

They had been arguing the night before. CJ loved arguing with him. It was challenging. And yes, perhaps a bit of a turn on. Andy had asked them to quiet down. She needed to catch an early plane. The face that Toby had made had sent CJ into a fit of giggles for six minutes. He’d timed it.

Something had shifted when Toby returned from the airport in Andy’s car. There was an air of freedom in the apartment. Almost as if a window had been opened and a breeze had been let in. But, there was electricity in that breeze. A current that CJ found dangerous. And enticing.

CJ is a flirt. She knows it. Andy knows it. Toby knows it. Hell, half of California knows it. It’s nothing. She doesn’t mean anything by it. Except, this afternoon she did. And Toby had been able to tell the difference. He had returned it in kind.

And before either one was fully conscious of it, this thing happened. There was heat and light. And bodies slamming together. The floor was hard, but it didn’t matter. The couch was better. At least for him. She’d been on her knees on the floor. The bed had been the best. First with his mouth, hot and talented. And then the other three times.

CJ doesn’t think she’s had this much sex in ages. Okay, never. But, it had been so intoxicating that she couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop. Neither had he.

~*~

He’s moving. He’s awake. She needs to enlist his help in formulating the plan. But, he’s looking at her with those sleepy, hooded eyes. She can’t seem to find the words to tell him this was a mistake.

Because, really, she’s not sure it is.

He asks how long Andy will be gone. She doesn’t find it strange or even disturbing that he doesn’t know. She tells him they have six more days. He smiles.

He did know that.

And she thinks six days is more than enough time to create the cover-up. They only need one day to do that. They can fake it during the phone calls.

Five more days of this.

His hand is sliding in her hair. The other guiding her hip towards him. Their lips are together. Rational thought is fading quickly.

They’re smart.

They’ll only need an hour, maybe two to come up with a plan.

Andy will never know that her best friend slept with her boyfriend. Ever.