Martha sat in the cold, black limousine staring out of the window. The rain was coming down heavier now, making patterns on the cool pane of glass she rested her head on. Perfect weather, she thought. The bleakness of the sky had rolled over the ceremony at Arlington halfway through Davids funeral and cast a shadow over the hundreds of mourners. It was there she had first noticed him standing half hidden in the midst of black suited agents. But she would recognize that red hair anywhere. A small smile flitted across her face, and she just managed to stop a small gasp from escaping her lips. This was not the time, but she couldnt help the butterflies that fluttered through her stomach. It was an effort, but she managed to tear her glance back to the priest. Still, she couldnt help casting one final glance his way...she gasped audibly this time as his eyes bore a hole, it seemed, deep into her very soul. With difficulty, she finally looked away, and then he was forgotten as David was finally lowered into the muddy ground.

She walked back to her car with two agents on either side of her -- one of the perks of being the First Lady, at least for the next few days.

She called to one of the agents, " Agent ..." Dammit, she could never remember their names, a problem she never had with Aaron.

"It's Agent Collins, Ma'am."

"I'm sorry, Agent Collins. I saw Agent Pierce during the service -- could you possibly find him and tell him I would like to see him?" The agent looked slightly bemused, but did as she asked, and less than a minute later, Aaron was standing in front of her.

"Hello, Aaron," she whispered.

"Mrs Logan." His bruised face made her inwardly shudder at what her husband had put him through.

"Aaron, I know this may seem like an odd request, but would you ride with me back to the ranch? I...I know I have new agents assigned to me, but I would feel so much safer if..."

"That would be fine, Mrs Logan." He didnt have to say anything else; she knew he could read her face, knew that she only felt safe when he was near her. She knew after today everything would change -- she would no longer be First Lady, and Aaron would be assigned God only knows where. She wanted ...no she needed this last moment with him.

She sat with her face against the cool pane of bulletproof glass, staring out at the murky sky while Aaron sat opposite her. She had insisted he ride in back, although looking at his awkward posture she was sure he would have felt more comfortable in the front with the other agents. But if this was going to be their last meeting, she was going to make sure she had him near to her, at least for the next few hours. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Aaron cleared his throat and mumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Aaron, I was in a world of my own." Martha was pulled back to the present.

"I said I was sorry I wasn't there...I mean at the airfield." He scooted to the edge of his seat and looked deep into her eyes. "I heard the recording." Martha quickly looked down at her lap, unsure of where this was going.

"No, no.. I meant I know he hit you, and I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you." Martha looked up and saw just for a second a flicker of genuine emotion in his eyes as his eyes gently welled up. She knew he felt he had failed in his duty to protect her, but this was something different, something...

The explosion came out of nowhere -- the front of the car lurched forward, and Martha found herself flung across the seat into Aaron's arms. He grabbed hold of her and pushed her so she was lying flat on the floor. Martha found herself thinking rather inappropiately that she seemed to be seeing a lot of car floors recently. Before she had time to adjust her thinking to something more appropiate, her life yet again seemed to be in danger...Aaron had grabbed her arms and pulled her rather ungraciously out of the side door.

"Martha, keep low, and don't leave my side, okay?" Aaron said, while shooting over the top of the opened door. "When I say run...you run." Martha held her body as close as was humanly possible against Aaron's so close she could feel the kickback from every shot he fired. Her face was buried in his back, so she could not see what he was shooting at, but they were still standing, so she thought he must be hitting his targets.

"Run!" The word that came out of his mouth was said with such a sense of urgency that Martha did the opposite -- her feet felt as if they had been crazy-glued to the ground.

"Martha, listen to me. We have to go. Martha!" Aaron looked at his charge and could see the terror in her eyes. He knew he had to take control of her quickly, or they were both dead. "Martha, look at me!" Using both his hands, he grabbed her face so she was facing him, his gun resting against her cheek. "Martha, we have to go now."

She looked at him with such fear in her eyes that all Aaron wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and run for the hills. However, logic told him he could not do that and shoot his weapon. He had taken out all visible hostiles, but that didn't mean there weren't more around the corner. After a quick scan of his surroundings, he had seen what looked like an abandoned factory about 50 yards ahead. If he could just get her moving, they could take shelter while he called for help. He looked back again at Martha, whose whole body seemed to be trembling from the inside out, and knew he had to do something drastic. Gritting his teeth, he pulled back his hand and slapped her hard across her face. The second his palm met her cool soft face she stopped shaking and looked at him with a mixture of relief and surprise. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the direction of the factory. Stumbling, she moved with him up the hill, her heels sticking in the muddy ground.

"Aaron, wait!" she shouted as her perfectly formed Manolo Blahnik heel caught in the dirt.

"Leave it!" Aaron shouted and half dragged her stockinged foot along the muddy ground. "Nearly there -- just a few more yards," he called back to her. As his face turned to her, she noticed his eyes cast a glance over her shoulder, and for a second she saw a flicker of fear there.

"What is it?" she yelled. The wind and rain made it almost impossible to see him as her once perfectly wedding-caked hair slapped in her eyes.

"Just keep running!" he shouted back.

Never one to let curiosity hold her back, Martha looked over her shoulder, and what she saw made her beautiful blue eyes open as wide as a newborn baby's. "Aaron, there's more..."

"I know! Just keep running...we're nearlly there." She had seen what he had noticed only seconds before --another three men were gaining on them, and from what Aaron could see in the rain, they were certainly not friendlies.

Aaron stopped so suddenly that Martha, still running, almost rebounded off his back into the mud. "What..." she cried.

"In here!" Aaron came behind her and pushed her gently into the gray buliding they had reached.

"Where are we?" Martha called back to Aaron, who still stood at the door glancing in all directions.

"I don't know, but we need to find cover. They're nearly on us." He regretted the words the second they were out of his mouth, as Martha again instantly froze. Aaron quickly looked out of the door one last time then gently moved over to where she was standing and trembling like a newborn lamb. "Martha, I promise you I will not let you come to any harm, but you have to do exactly what I say -- alright? And we will get out of here."

Tentatively he reached his hand up to her cheek and softly rubbed the spot where only seconds earlier her had struck her. "I will get you out of here, Martha -- I promise," he whispered.

"O.k I trust you Aaron" Martha repilied nervously, and with a tentative grin said " lead the way Agent Pierce"

Aaron scanned the large building and quickly pulled her up one, and then two flights of stairs. Looking across a gray room with hooks hanging from the ceiling, he noticed a small room to the far right of the floor. "Quick, in here!" he shouted as he took her hand and ushered her into the dark, cold room. The speed they were running meant they came to an abrupt halt at the far end of the room, Aaron fell into Martha's back.

"Ow!" she gasped.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" He pulled her around so she was facing him.

"No, Aaron... you could never do that," Martha said, almost in a whisper. They stood in silence, as once again he was captivated by those beautiful blue orbs which gazed at him so trustingly he almost couldn't bear it. "Martha..." he whispered, taking a step closer to her. In that moment, they both jumped, their hearts pounding at the noise that had just disturbed the moment that passed between them. Aaron quickly turned gun aimed at the open door to find the door was no longer open. The huge iron slab that separated them from this cell to the outside world had closed behind them.

"Um... Aaron?" Martha took a step forward. "Where's the door handle?"