Hi there! Designated Survivor is back, and I am too. I absolutely loved this new season and I was super excited to watch it.
Warning: This one shot contains spoilers until episode 309.
From watching this season, I came up with this one shot. I was really frustrated that Aaron just called Emily after she lost her mother. This one shot could potentially turn into a story, but I cannot promise anything. I don't know if any idea will pop or if it's a good thing to turn it into a story, so I'll think about it before I post anything. I really hope you'll like it, please let me know what you thought.

Please review!

It's four in the morning, but Emily isn't sleeping. She doesn't know when she'll sleep; probably not before a while. She lost her mother a few hours ago, and she doesn't realize it yet. How could she? It's true, she had time to accept it, that her mother would die soon. Ovarian cancer is a bitch. It's been months she is sick. But she never imagined that it would come so soon, and that she would have to follow through her mother's wish. She killed her own mother, and despite knowing that it is legal in Washington D.C., or that it was her mother's wish, it's still unbearable for her. Her heart literally aches from the sadness, the guilt and the despair. And she feels alone. She wishes she could have someone to talk to, a father for example, or a brother. It's too bad, she's an only child, and her father has been out of the picture for far too long. But paradoxically, this loneliness soothes her too. She doesn't want to talk to anyone, she doesn't want to be bothered by anyone. She just wants to cry on her own. She even turned off her phone.

So instead of having someone by her side, comforting her, she consoles herself with the glass of wine she has in her hand. It's empty though… The bottle is empty too. She drank it all after coming back from the hospital, but it doesn't help. She feels dizzy and almost wants to throw up, and still, it doesn't erase the pain. Her eyes are red and burning from crying and the alcohol is getting to her head. The images of her mother in the ER are vivid as her eyes are closing by themselves. She is exhausted.

"Does your mother have a DNR?" the doctor asks.

"Can you just save her?" Emily begs, her eyes full of tears, out of breath.

"Do you know if she has advanced directives?" the doctors asks relentlessly.

"You're a doctor. You took an oath! Can you please just save her?" Emily almost screams.

"Miss! I need an answer!" the doctor exclaims.

"I don't know what I did to her!"

"Does your mother have a DNR?" the doctor asks again.

"Yes, she does." Emily finally says, her hands shaking, her heart pounding.

She wakes up with a start, her breath shallow. She was woken up by a knock on the door as she was seeing herself fall on her knees in the emergency room. It takes time before she comes back to her senses and realizes where she is. She looks at her phone: it's 4:50 a.m. Who could even think of coming to her place at that time of the night? She sighs, rubbing her eyes. Her eyes are still wet from crying. She's not even sure she wants to answer, it's too late, and she's in no state to welcome anyone, but another knock at the door makes her decide otherwise. She stands up and stumbles. Despite the constant pounding in her head, she forgot how much she drank. It takes ages before she manages to come to the door, and she even wonders if the impromptu guest is still here. She doesn't even think about looking through the peephole before opening the door, and suddenly freezes when she realizes who is in front of her.

"Aaron?"

He doesn't say anything, he just has a compassionate smile on his face. He seems relieved that she finally opened the door. He walks the remaining steps between them and takes her in his arms. Taken aback, she bursts into tears. He knows. She doesn't know how he knows, but he does, and she cannot express enough gratitude toward him. He came to her place in the middle of the night to comfort her, and that means everything to her. It takes a few minutes before she pulls out of his arms and invites him inside. His security details on his trail, he asks them to stay at the door before closing on them, getting them some much needed privacy. Walking in, he realizes that nothing has moved. Even the pills that Emily gave her mother are still on the kitchen counter, and it makes him shiver. It smells like death. Not literally, it doesn't, but it gives him the creeps. He shakes his head and heads toward the kitchen where Emily is filling two glasses of wine. She knows she shouldn't, but it's the only thing she can think of right now. She heads toward the couch and he follows her. They don't say anything, he just sits by her side and opens his arms, letting her curl against him. She still sniffs, the tears are still visible on her cheeks. She puts her glass of wine on the coffee table by her side, she doesn't even want to drink it anymore.

"How do you know?" she asks, her voice broken.

"Seth told me." he answers.

"Oh… Right. I turned off my phone." she says, almost in a murmur.

"I know, I tried to call several times."

In her sort of drunken state, she completely forgot that she sent Seth that text. It's the only one she sent, while in the cab back home. She didn't even wait for an answer, she turned off her phone right after, needing to be alone for the night.

"How are you even here? Weren't you in Florida today?"

"I was. I came here straight from the airport when I landed."

"You didn't have to…"

Emily feels the guilt inside of her. He came because he thought she needed him, and as always, he was right. She doesn't want to admit it, but she is more than thankful that he is here. She will never forget about this.

"You know, I'm always here for you, Em." he says, pulling her against him.

This sentence sends shivers down her spin. She knows he means it and it warms her heart.

"What about Isabel? You shouldn't be here… We've already done enough." Emily says, hanging tighter to him, afraid he will leave.

Even drunk and miserable, Emily thinks about the others. It's always been one of her biggest qualities. She is so caring, she'll always put others first, whatever the circumstances.

"We'll see about that tomorrow. Don't worry. I wanted to be there for you tonight."

He kisses her temple softly and she finally settles against him, the tension finally leaving her shoulders.

"Thank you." she murmurs.

The alcohol still burning in her, she feels herself drift into sleep, shaken by the memories of her mother. She feels Aaron move against her, and suddenly he takes her in his arms. She isn't really aware of what is happening, she's just semi-conscious and understands that he takes her to her bedroom. He knows she needs a good night sleep, it will be a tough day tomorrow, just like all the others recently. With the election coming up in less than a week, days have been hectic, and for Emily's it's been even worse. She spent her days running on the campaign and her nights taking care of her mother. Everybody could see that she is physically and mentally exhausted. And now, with her mom gone, he doesn't know how she will hold up. He really is worried for her. Laying her on the bed, he softly puts the blanket on her, but before he can do anything, Emily pulls on his hand, forcing him to stay by her side.

"Stay…" Emily mumbles.

"I'm not leaving. Don't worry." he whispers.

Aaron walks around the bed and strips from most of his clothes before sliding in the bed. He doesn't even have the time to properly lie down, she already turns around and nestles against him when he opens his arm. She hangs to him, her arm around his chest, and he can feel her still-wet eyes against his chest. Even half-asleep, she still cries and it breaks his heart. He feels so bad for her, he wishes he could help her, but he doesn't know how. He wishes he could erase the pain, but he knows it's not possible. It's something that will take time, and deep inside, he promises himself —and her— that he will be there every step of the way, every step of the grief. No matter what happens with Isabel, no matter whether he wins or loses this election next week.

Exhausted too, he feels himself drift into an anxious sleep, worried for Emily and for the days to come.

It's only a couple of hours later that Aaron is woken up by his buzzing phone on the nightstand. Emily is still curled against him and he moves slowly, trying his best not to wake her up. The call ends before he has time to answer. It's probably for the best though… It's Lorraine and he really doesn't want to talk to her. He knows she will ask if he got back with Isabel and he hates this invasion of privacy. He ignores the fact that he should probably call her back and decides to get up. It's almost seven anyway, he should probably already be at the White House. He gets out of the bed as discreetly as possible, doing his best not to wake up Emily. She flinches at the sudden loss of warmth but doesn't seem to wake up.

Relieved, he walks to the kitchen to prepare some coffee, but suddenly stops in his tracks. He had forgotten the mess in the kitchen, and it still gives him the creeps. Nothing has changed, nothing has moved. He shakes his head and decides to clean everything before Emily wakes up. It's already hard enough on her, she doesn't need to see the pills, the half-empty glass of juice, or any other reminder that her mother is gone. It's 7:40 a.m. when he's done cleaning and he finally enjoys some coffee. Looking at the numerous emails he got in the few hours of sleep, he knows he should already be at work. He has so many things to do, so many persons to answer to. But when he lies on the doorframe of Emily's bedroom, his cup of coffee in the hand, he realizes that he cannot leave her like this. He cannot leave her alone. She is curled into a ball, hugging the pillow as tight as she can. It's like she needs something, someone to comfort her, and he knows he has to be there for her.

His phone buzzes again and he sighs. This time, it's Seth. It's not that he doesn't want to answer him, but since he lets Isabel crash at his place, Aaron doesn't know how to talk to his friend. He's always uncomfortable. He walks away from Emily's room to answer.

"Hey, have you heard from Emily?" Seth asks as soon as Aaron picks up the call. "She hasn't answered any of my texts since she told me about her mom… I'm worried."

"I'm with her, she's sleeping…" Aaron answers.

"Aaron…" Seth groans, scolding his friend.

"Nothing happened, nothing is going to happen. And I would appreciate if you were not telling your… roommate about this." Aaron says, referring to Isabel.

"You are playing with fire, Aaron." Seth continues to scold.

"Please, I don't need a lesson right now. I came to her place because she needed me. That's all."

"Ok, fine. Can you please tell her to call me when she can. It's important."

"I will."

"Please, don't do anything stupid."

"Seth…"

This time it's Aaron who groans. He is tired of hearing Seth scolding him and telling him what he should or should not do. He is a grown-up, but ever since Seth learned that Aaron and Emily slept together, the Press Secretary cannot help but make comments about the duo's relationship. Aaron hangs up and decides to wake up Emily. It's not that he wants to, but he knows he doesn't have a choice. She too, has to go to work, and she would hate him if he wasn't waking her up. Sitting on the bed, next to her, he softly strokes her shoulder and calls her.

"Em…" he calls softly.

She grumbles and turns around. Her eyes are puffy and red from crying most of the night.

"It's me, Aaron…"

She pulls him against her, making him lie on the bed again. She curls up against him as he strokes her back gently. She needs the comfort of his strong arms, his reassuring arms wrapped around her.

"You need to wake up, Em. I wish I could let you sleep, but Seth's been trying to reach you. I think it's important…"

"What time is it?" she asks, her voice hoarse.

"Almost eight…"

"Fuck, I should already be at work…" she grumbles, burying her face in Aaron's neck.

"It's okay, don't worry. Take your time, nobody's going to hold it against you."

Emily sighs, she doesn't want to get out of bed. Her heart still aches, she knows she looks like a mess, and she is in no state to endure everybody's condolences.

"I don't want to go…" she says.

"I know. But you don't have a choice…"

Suddenly, he feels tears falling on his chest. That's how he realizes that she's been crying in silence. He hates it, he doesn't know what to do to ease the pain. He wishes he could do something, anything. He pulls her tighter against him and softly kisses her forehead.

"Em, it's okay. I'm here for you. I'll be here for you every step of the way."

"You promise?"

"I promise…"