"I don't know what happened to him. I was there every step of the way. I...I…I...I still really don't know." Martha couldn't quite get the words out as she looked at Mike, asking questions she knew he did not have the answers to.
"I'm sorry," Mike said. What else could he say? He had trusted President Logan and felt betrayed, but that had to be nothing compared to what the woman who had shared his life with the man for going on thirty years was feeling. He looked at Martha, whose eyes had begun to well with unshed tears. Tears he knew she would not allow to fall. Not yet.
She looked at the floor and began to talk. "After the ceremony, I think I would like to see Aaron Pierce." As she said his name, she looked Mike squarely in the eye, her eyes daring him to refuse her. To her surprise, he smiled and replied.
"Certainly, Martha. I'd be happy to escort you anywhere you'd like."
Martha gave a small non-committal smile at him and felt her stomach turn over with excitement at the thought of seeing him again. Soon.
They both looked out over the vista of people at Port Magoo standing to salute David before he returned to his final resting place. Martha exhaled deeply and raised her eyes to the heavens as if they held some of the answers she was looking for. A thought quickly went through her mind, and once again she turned to Mike.
"Oh, Mike. What happened to Jack Bauer?" She owed that man her deepest gratitude for helping to bring her husband to justice, and after all she had been through today, she had not met or spoken to the man. She would like to meet him. After seeing Aaron, of course.
"I just got off the phone with Secret Service. Jack Bauer's gonna be fine." He smiled at her and Martha nodded slightly. There was time to convey her thanks to Jack Bauer; for now she had to say goodbye to David. Then go to Aaron.
Aaron sat in the Secret Service outbuilding staring at his phone in his hand. He was rapidly getting frustrated; something should've happened by now. He knew the plan to get Logan to confess had failed. Mike had already informed him that the helicopter had been found and was on its way to the airfield. He stood up, still gripping his phone, and began to pace the floor. He felt so useless. Jack had told him if his plan didn't work, he would plant a listening device on Charles and it would be up to the only person who could get the information out of him without arousing suspicion. Martha. Aaron had wanted to say something to Jack. Martha had already been through so much today. He knew that she had stalled the President to allow Mike time to get Jack on the helicopter and he had a feeling that lay heavy in his gut that he knew how she had done it.And now after all she had done, her role in today's events was not over. She was going to have to play this one out to the end. He resumed his pacing and stopped at the far side of the building and slammed his fist against the wall. He should be there. He had left her in the stable looking so lost and alone, and had inwardly vowed he would return to find her, once the day was over. And now, as he waited for the phone call that would determine the rest of his life, all he could think about was her. Her face, as he told her it would be best if they had no contact. Watching her as the car slowly moved further away from her until she was out of his sight. What would she have to do to extract the information the country needed? He closed his eyes and slumped against the wall. What would she have to do, and would she be safe? He jumped as the phone in his hand rang. Nearly dropping it, he scrambled to open it. The call display read "Mike." Taking a deep breath, he flipped it open and said, "Pierce."
"Aaron, it's Mike. It's over, Aaron. Martha did it. Charles has been taken into custody."
Aaron closed his eyes and let the phone drop from his ear. It was over; Martha had gotten Logan 's confession. Not that he ever doubted she could. He heard Mike's voice from the receiver at his side.
"Aaron. Aaron, are you there?"
Lifting the phone back to his ear, he replied, "I'm here, Mike. Please tell me -- Mrs. Logan. Is she alright?"
"Well, she's pretty shaken up, but she got the information we needed. Aaron, we're about to return to the ranch. Are you still in the outbuilding?"
"Yes, I haven't moved since Jack left."
"Well, we are on our way back. We should be about thirty minutes. And Aaron?"
"Yeah, Mike?"
"Mrs. Logan wants to see you." Aaron felt his stomach flip as he digested this information, and he heard Mike call out to someone.
"Aaron, I've got to go, but we'll be back in half an hour. Can I tell Martha you'll see her?"
Aaron exhaled deeply, then took a deep breath. Thirty minutes, and he would be seeing her. Only a few hours ago, he thought she would be gone from his life forever, and now she was on her way and wanted to see him. "I'll be here, Mike."
Hanging up the phone, he glanced at his watch. Thirty minutes -- just enough time for a shower and a shave. And then she would be here.
Martha sat in the back seat of the limousine, staring out of the window. She had removed her hat, and it lay on the seat beside her. She was fiddling with the brim and watching as the car pulled out of Port Magoo. She briefly glanced over at Mike and hid a smile. When she had told him she wanted to see Aaron, she was sure he was going to put up some kind of opposition. Especially after that afternoon, when he had interrupted her and Aaron in her bedroom. She was sure he would not be happy about the two of them meeting again. But he had said yes without hesitation, and she was grateful to him for that. Of course, after what she had just done, she was pretty sure she could have asked for the entire Navy fleet to be waiting for her in her bedroom when she returned, and he would have done it. After all, it was she who had gotten Charles to confess. Thinking back over the last hour, she wondered if it was right that she felt no guilt over what she had just done. Nothing. In fact, as she had watched Charles being led away and he had looked at her, realizing her part in his downfall, she couldn't help letting a satisfied smirk flit across her face. But did she feel gulity? No, she realized; she felt nothing. Not guilt. Not pity. Just a feeling that today was finally over and some satisfaction that she, the woman who most people had pegged as crazy, had outsmarted her own husband, the President of the United States . Yes, she felt good. And now, she would be seeing Aaron again. After he had left her at the stables, she had no idea where Mike was taking him, and hearing that he had not left the ranch had made her heart soar. He had not deserted her; he had stayed and played his part. But would he want to see her? Tensing in her seat she felt her heart begin to speed up. Yes, he had stayed to help in the day's events, but that was his job to protect the Presidency. He had stayed out of duty to his country, hadn't he? Would he want to see her? When the car had driven him away from her, she had watched him staring at her out of the back window. He had not taken his eyes off her for a second. What did that mean? Letting her body relax back into the seat, she sighed. Well, she would be seeing him very soon, and all her questions would be answered.
"Martha...Martha."
She was jolted back to reality by Mike standing by the open car door beside her. She hadn't even noticed the car had stopped. Taking Mike's hand, she stepped out into the cool morning air. She looked up at the ranch and wondered if she would ever be able to look at the place in the same light again. This had been her favorite perk of being the First Lady. She loved the retro style of the building and its beautiful ponds and fountains, and her horses were almost a part of her. But looking at the building in the morning light, she could only see what had occurred hours before.
"Martha, are you alright?" Mike had begun to walk toward the house and had stopped when he realized she was not following him.
"Things will never be the same again, Mike, will they?" She slowly moved to stand at his side.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Martha. Things are going to get bad. But I think you have proved today you have the capacity to withstand a greater burden than any of us ever gave you credit for." He looked her up and down, and with a look of concern, said, "Why don't you go and take a shower, maybe get some sleep. God knows we could all use some."
"Thanks, Mike, but I would really like to see Aaron first."
Mike looked at her as if she were going to offer some explanation, but she didn't, and he wasn't about to ask for one. He had noticed the energy between the two of them twice today. The first time, in her room, when he had caught them holding hands, Aaron had assured him nothing had happened and Mike, knowing Aaron for the years he had, had believed him. But when he saw the two of them in the stables, he knew something had shifted. He had taken the keys from Aaron and had waited for him in the front of the car while Aaron said what was, in his mind, a rather long goodbye to Martha. He had adjusted the rearview mirror and seen Aaron lean in toward Martha. For a moment, Mike was sure he was going to kiss her, and had had his hand poised on the horn. But no, he had held his face alongside hers for a while, then had pulled back. But Mike wasn't stupid; he had seen Aaron gaze out of the back window at Martha until they had turned the corner. And thanks to the rearview mirror, had seen the look in Aaron's eyes as he turned to face the front. He was a picture of loss and devastation. As he looked at Martha now he could see the same longing in her eyes at the thought of seeing him again. And although he knew the meeting was probably not the best idea in the world, he was not going to stand in their way. "Come on, he's in his room; I'll walk you there." He moved to take her arm.
"No, Mike; I can go alone." She began to walk toward the house and quickly turned and looked at Mike on last time. "Thank you Mike. For everything."
He smiled at her. "You're welcome, Martha. Now go find Aaron. He's expecting you."
Martha walked down the long corridor toward the guest quarters of the house and stopped outside what she had been told was Aaron's door. She lifted her hand ready to knock and drew it back, clutching it to her chest. She had no idea how to approach this. What to say. What to do. Martha, she thought, you really haven't thought this through. She stood in silence outside the closed door and eventually decided she had done enough rationalizing today. Rational thoughts had not played a huge part in her life today, so why start now. Taking a deep breath, she knocked at the door. Waiting for a few seconds, she knocked again. Still no answer -- was he asleep? She gently tried the door handle and it opened. She peered into the room and looked at the bed. Well, she thought, if he was sleeping, he wasn't there. Moving fully into the room, she noticed the faint smell of his aftershave. That scent that she remembered when he had pulled her close to him in the stables. She walked slowly around the small room, decided he wasn't there, and headed back toward the door.
"Martha?"
She spun around and watched as he came out of the bathroom, his hair still wet from the shower. She hid a smile as she looked him up and down. He was dressed in sweatpants and a faded Dallas Cowboys t-shirt. She ignored the fluttering in her stomach as she moved her eyes to his face. "Hello, Aaron."
They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, just looking at each other. His eyes traveled down the black dress she was wearing, and she in turn gazed at him. Knowing one of them had to break the silence, she cleared her throat and began to speak, her voice coming out breathy and soft.
"I wanted to see you. I had to know if you were alright. Are you alright?" The distance between them seemed a mile wide as she waited for his response.
"I am now." He replied. "I was worried about you. Are you alright?"
The silence fell between them once again, and Martha gazed intently at the floor before looking back up into his penetrable eyes. "I am now," she repeated.
Before she had time to think about it, and before he had time to say anything else, she felt a force pulling her across the room and flung herself into his arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she began to sob, really sob, as if the floodgates she had been trying so desperately to keep closed had finally burst.
Aaron stood in shock for a second as her arms folded around his back, then without thinking, he wrapped her in a tight embrace and softly stroked her hair. "Sssh...It's alright. It's over." He stroked her soft hair then moved his arms to the curve of her waist and held her tightly.
"I'm sorry," a voice mumbled from the safety of his neck. "I don't know why I'm crying, I'm just so happy to see you." She pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes still keeping her grip on him. "After earlier, I thought I'd never see you again."
Aaron's throat began to choke up as he looked into her mascara-smudged eyes, and, not caring if this was proper or protocol, pulled her back towards him and tightened his grip on her. Kissing the top of her head softly he said, "Martha, I would have come back. I would never have left you. I would have found some way of letting you know I was alright."
Martha's tears began to calm from her intense sobbing to small whimpers. She pulled slightly back and once again looked into his eyes. "Well, I have had better days. How about you?" She managed a half smile.
He looked at her fondly and smiled. Reaching up, he began to rub her smudged mascara from under her eyes. "I hear you did good." She smiled at him as he wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "Quite the heroine." She laughed and slapped him playfully on his arm. Loosening his grip on her, he stroked her face one last time. "Martha, I'm not going anywhere. Why don't you go and get some rest? A shower at least. I will be here when you're done."
"Agent Pierce," she replied.
"Yes, Ma'am," he chuckled.
"If my head of security doesn't mind, his charge is quite content where she currently is." She snuggled back into his neck. "Unless, of course, he minds." She looked at him and smiled.
"He doesn't mind." Aaron pulled away from her and she looked at him puzzled. "But maybe the First Lady would be a little more comfortable on the sofa." He sat on the overstuffed sofa and still holding her hand, pulled her towards him. She sat on the opposite end of the sofa at first. Then thinking, what the hell, she moved into the safety of his arms once more, curling her legs underneath her. "I was so scared, Aaron. When Charles told me you had been transferred back to Washington , all I could think of was that the one person I knew I could trust had left me."
Stroking her hair, Aaron closed his eyes. He knew when he had been ambushed in the grounds waiting for her that she would think he had deserted her, and this had hurt more than the beating he had received. "Martha, I would never have intentionally left you. It is my job to protect you." He knew he had said the wrong thing when she pulled away from his embrace and looked him in the eye.
"Your job? I see." She sighed and began to uncurl herself into a sitting position.
"No wait, Martha, please. He turned so his knees were touching hers and took her hands in his. "Even if I had not sworn an oath to protect you, I would have moved heaven and earth to keep you from harm."
She turned back to face him and smiled. "I think that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." She resumed her previous position and once again found herself locked in his embrace. "When I saw you lying on the floor in the stables, I honestly don't think I have ever been so scared. I thought you were dead. Then when I realized you weren't, that was the moment I knew no matter what, I couldn't go along with Charles and keep quiet. Not anymore. It was then I knew I would have moved heaven and earth to keep you from harm."
He laughed at her repetition of his words and decided two could play that game..."I think that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
She laughed into his neck and moved slightly so she could face him. "You know, all day people had been telling me I was losing it, that I wasn't in my right mind, and you know what? I believed them. I truly thought I was going insane. Until I held that gun in my hand and fired it. I swear I never felt more sane in my life. Scared to death, yes. But completely sane." Suddenly looking panicked, she pulled at Aaron's shirt. "What will happen to me? I mean, I killed a man."
"Don't you worry. It will be taken care of. You did it to stop him from killing me. You will be fine, I promise."
"And us? What will happen to us?" She dared to ask the one question that had been on her lips since entering the room.
"Us? We will be fine, Martha. We will be just fine." Aaron smiled at her.
"You know, I'm probably crossing a very big line here, and you're probably breaking about twenty rules, but I have wanted to do this since the stables." She reached up and took his face into her hands. "And I can't think of a better time." Slowly she moved her face to his and gently placed a small kiss on his lips. She wanted nothing more than to deepen the kiss and taste him. But she knew this was not the place, and they had all the time in the world for that. So, after a few seconds she pulled away. She looked into his face and gave a contented sigh; he had never looked happier. Feeling her eyes pulling down, she laid her head on his chest and closed them. "You know, I think I will take your advice and get a little rest. And I can't think of a safer place to be than in the arms of my Head of Secret Service. Hearing no argument, and feeling his arms tighten around her, she allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep, content with he knowledge that he would be here when she awoke.