a/n: based off the movie 'Chasing Liberty'. Added advantage of having been to Prague myself. Short story in four parts to help conquer my crippling writer's block for the others. Enjoy.

Rachel Berry hated being the daughter of the most powerful man on Earth. Mostly because it put her in situations no normal eighteen year old should ever have to experience.

'Finn we can just go somewhere else-' Rachel pleaded, aware of the red and blue lights playing across the tall quarterback's face. Finn stared at her incredulously as two of his friends were patted down beside him, one of them wincing from where her Secret Service detail had delivered a nasty blow.

'I'm sorry Rachel, but I didn't sign up for all of this,' Finn gestured towards the swarms of police officers and people in sharp suits milling around the two of them. Vaguely Rachel thought she saw camera bulbs flash and tried her best to ignore the patrons of the Italian restaurant she had been in before ogling her unabashedly.

'This isn't who I am,' she told him. 'I'm just a normal-'

'No Rachel, you're really not. Look I'll see you around, okay?' Finn interrupted her, turning on his heel and walking out of her life. Rachel swallowed and pushed away the burning sensation in her eyes.

'Let's get you home Broadway,' Matthew Rutherford, one of agents assigned to her detail, placed a gentle hand on her arm. Rachel jerked away from his touch, flashed him a deadly scowl.

'He promised me it would just be Emma,' Rachel said tightly. 'He promised.'

Matt looked uncomfortable and Rachel sighed, decided that it wasn't fair for her to take out her displeasure on an innocent bystander. He was just doing his job.

'Let's just go,' Rachel agreed, pulling her favourite vintage coat tighter around herself.

Having spent her whole life in politics, or rather being raised in an environment where politics was simply inescapable due to Leroy Berry's chosen profession, Rachel understood more than anyone how deeply her father cared for the people he represented. When he had been elected president – an African-American man engaged to his partner of five years, Hiram – she had watched in awe as her Daddy rose to become the leader she had always known he would be. So she had endured the restrictions of her privacy, submitted to the two agents who would always shadow her wherever she went, resigned herself to the fact that being a child of the White House wasn't simply being a prop in the background.

After six years of this, I'm surprised I haven't cracked.

Rachel couldn't help it – she craved freedom. She needed to get away from this circus and just be. Away from things like the NATO Ball her father had been invited to, where she had to slip into an uncomfortable dress and mingle with people who talked about trade subsidies and macroeconomics.

Prague was waiting outside her doorstep and so far Rachel hadn't seen one bit of it.

'Ray!'

The stilted smile on her face became genuine when she caught sight of Santana Lopez, daughter to the King of Monaco, making her way towards her fathers receiving line.

'Santana! Its so good to see you!' Rachel greeted her friend with a kiss on the cheek.

'You clean up good Berry. Much better than those schoolgirl outfits you prance around in,' Santana remarked, earning her a laugh from Rachel.

'You look beautiful Princess,' Leroy chipped in, taking Santana's hand in his and placing a chaste kiss.

'You too Mr President,' Santana replied.

'Santana and I are going to change and head out,' Rachel told Leroy, who frowned.

'I'm not sure its such a good idea to let you girls roam around unprotected-'

'Daddy please. I'm just asking for one night to not be the President's daughter. We agreed that this would be an ideal way for you to make up for completely ruining my date with Finn,' Rachel said pointedly.

'That boy was barely passing English,' Leroy muttered under his breath.

'Honey, let her be. You know Albert and Maria agreed to this as well,' Hiram referenced the King and Queen on Monaco, squeezing his daughter's shoulder. 'Go on girls. Enjoy.'

'Thanks Dad!' Rachel shot out before grabbing Santana's hand and dragging her away before Leroy could change his mind.

'Who the fuck is Finn?' Santana asked once they were out of earshot, dropping the refined speech she had put on previously. Rachel grinned at that. It was another reminder of why she had always enjoyed spending time with Santana.

'A guy who could have potentially been my soulmate, before the Secret Service decided a water pistol was hazardous to my health,' Rachel answered curtly.

'His name's Finn,' Santana emphasized.

'Yes I'm aware, thank you. As I recall, you dated a boy who had abnormally large lips.'

'At least Trouty Mouth knew how to use em. Finn sounds like he'd need an instruction manual on how to get you off,' Santana said as they changed into the clothing Santana had had her maid drop off earlier at the hotel. The deep denim jeans and one shoulder ribbed black top fit Rachel like a glove, and she donned the pointed flats and gold drop earrings as Santana smoothed a finger over her eyebrow.

'You ready to get out of here?'

'Like you wouldn't believe,' Rachel announced, darting her eyes around as they headed towards the exit. Her shoulders relaxed when she didn't see anyone but Matt and Mike Chang, flashing them both a small smile as Santana led her away. The death threats her father received almost daily – herself included – mandated at least a minimum level of protection. Two agents beat the usual entourage her father usually insisted upon.

It was only until they were deep inside the throng of writhing bodies, the small theatre stuffy and hot with barely enough room to breathe, that Rachel's smile faded. Laughing as she pushed away Santana's freely roaming hands while balancing the almost empty cup of vodka in the other, she caught sight of a man pressing two fingers to his ear. His collared shirt and starched jeans gave him away and as she passed her eyes around the space, she felt betrayal thread through her skin when three more men exhibited the same behaviour.

Her father had lied to her. Again.

'Santana I need to switch clothes with you,' Rachel hissed into her friend's ear. Santana arched an eyebrow but followed her willingly into the questionable public restroom.

'What's going on?'

'Apparently I don't rate the same amount of honesty as the American people,' Rachel spat out. 'There are so many Secret Service agents out there, I'm surprised I didn't spot them sooner! Urgh!'

Santana regarded her thoughtfully as she pulled on Rachel's jeans.

'Haul your ass outta here. I'll cover for you,' Santana promised.

'The President of the United-'

'Shit Berry. We don't have a lot of friends because of who our parents are. So shut the fuck up and go already.'

'I'll call you,' Rachel retorted, sweeping Santana into a hug before ducking her head down behind her friend. She saw Matt and Mike out of the corner of her eye, darted off into the crowd when Santana nudged her.

I'm not going back.

Rachel burst out into the night air, the faded light that hung around the Charles Taylor Bridge providing just enough illumination for her to see a man on what looked like a scooter. It was foolish, dangerous what she contemplated next.

'Miss Berry!' She heard someone shout behind her.

Mind made up Rachel rushed up to the man in the scooter.

'I need you to help me escape,' she blurted out, weaving a bit unsteadily on her feet. The man raised an eyebrow, and Rachel stared at his sharp cheekbones and nicely-shaped lips as he looked past her to see a man in a suit running towards them.

'Get on,' the man answered, unlatching his helmet and shoving it into her hands. Rachel quickly straddled the seat, wound her arms around the stranger's torso as he kicked up the stand and revved the engine.

'Bye Matthew!' Rachel couldn't resist hollering over her shoulder as they sped away, laughing as the wind whipped across her face and hair.

I'm definitely not going back.