Eternal Affections by Boasamishipper

AU. After the Blackout, Maggie Foster thought she was alone in the world. But she wasn't. Kelly, her estranged older sister, was all she had left. And Maggie wasn't about to let her go. Alternating between the past and the present. My first multi-chap story! Please review!

The sun was setting, sending streaks of dark orange and red into the creamy pink sky. It was a beautiful sight that not very many people had ever cared to lay eyes on, yet she was not paying any attention to it.

She paced around her study, her arms behind her back, intently studying the carpet between rotations. She finally sat at her desk, flipping through a stack of papers until she had found the one that she was looking for. Biting her lip, she stared at it until she cast it aside impatiently.

Her country was in danger. She had no time to look over the list of complaints from her soldiers about misbehaving civilians. If a war was started, soon her city would not have any citizens.

It had started out from tiny clusters of shacks sprouting up around the skyscrapers. Men and women alike had eventually learned to farm crops and start businesses, making important things vital for their survival. Her army was now one of the best in the remains of the continent, beating the Monroe Republic and the California Commonwealth by a landslide. She was proud of the way her country had grown.

But it soon would be torn down by either the Rebels or the Monroe Republic.

The Rebels, she surmised, were only in it for the thrill of a revolution. If (not when, if) they ever got control of anything, they would not know what to do with it. Tyrannies and dictatorships would break out, and yet more people would die because of the Blackout. The Rebels were stupid, power-hungry people with an adrenaline addiction, she thought.

Sebastian Monroe, of course, was no different. He was a ruthless, power-hungry megalomaniac. Before, of course, General Matheson had left; he had been much kinder to his people. Naturally, now Monroe was the butt of several jokes of how he obviously could not take any rejection.

She gazed serenely into the candles flickering on her desk, at the red rug on the floor, at the blinds on the windows. She stood up to close them.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, with a snarky voice telling her officers to leave him alone. A frown appeared on her face. Could it be?

The doors opened, but she didn't bother looking to see who it was. "Miles Matheson."

"Madam President," he replied in his rough voice that she had once found so appealing. "May I just say…" he hesitated, and she pictured him rolling his eyes, "that was a crapload of stairs."

She fought a smile, still gazing out the window. "Charming as ever." She fingered a small silver charm that, to her, was worth more than all the money in the world. "I suppose you're here to tell me that you didn't kill that policeman?" Even if he denied it, she wouldn't even consider believing the Butcher of Baltimore or whatever it was that they were calling him now.

"No." Just as she suspected. "But the man who did, he's your problem."

She whirled around to face him. "It's a hell of a problem." She waved a piece of parchment to get his attention. "A little MASH note? From Sebastian."

Miles remained impassive.

"'Dear citizens, the fight is not with you. It is with your leader, who insists upon war. If the Georgia Federation does not offer unconditional surrender by midnight tonight.'" She glared at him, breaking script. "He's going to detonate a nuke."

Miles half-shook his head. "You must've heard he's got power."

She gave a noncommittal grunt and dropped the paper onto an ashtray. "But a nuclear bomb? And he's…deranged enough to use it."

"Kelly–"He tried to move forward, but the guards held him back. She gave her guards a curt nod, and they release him. "He wants your real-estate. You know that." He looked back at the guards. "Let me out of here. I can help."

She laughed without humor. "I should trust you?" She approached him, her eyes hardening. She jabbed a letter knife into his stomach. "Miles…" She shook her head. "I should've slit you wide open. You killed…how many of my troops?"

He doesn't respond. She didn't expect him to.

"That was a long time ago," he finally said.

She rolled her eyes. "Mhmm. And what about what you did to me, personally?"

"Kelly." He paused. "The guy who brought this bomb here? I trained him. I can stop him. And…hell if I'm wrong, but we're all in the same dust cloud anyway."

Her eyes darted around the room while he spoke. "And how do I know that you will actually stop him?"

Miles hesitated. "You're just going to have to trust me."

He may as well have asked her to dance naked on the roof of a car.

"Kelly. Please. I know I've given you countless reasons to want to cut off my head but please. Just consider once for trusting me."

So she considered for a long time. "Guards? Let General Matheson go. He's going to be helping out."

Like the trained monkeys that they were, the guards nodded in sync before unlocking his handcuffs and leaving her office.

"Kelly," Miles stated. "Thank you."

She looked away from him, not quite knowing what to say. Soon the door closed behind him.

Kelly caught her breath and sat down at her desk. "Calm down, Kelly," she instructed herself. "Don't freak out."

She opened one desk drawer and took out her prized picture. It was frayed from years of unfolding, weathered, and spotty from time. But she wouldn't have traded it in for anything. She smoothed it out with shaking hands.

She was nineteen years old. Her curly red hair was much longer, her green eyes were lined in mascara, and she was laughing. Her arm was around her younger sister, whose blonde hair was cut short. Her sister's green eyes, so much like her own, sparkled in the sunlight.

"Oh, Maggie," Kelly said sadly, stroking her sister's face. "I'm so sorry. I wish I hadn't left you. If you're still out there, Maggie, I love you."

So… *grins* Likey? No likey? Press that button down there and review. In return, I may float a few more chapters into this story. Please review!