Disclaimer: They are not mine, I do not own them, I just play with them.
This is a work of fiction and Will offer no spoilers to the series.
Russell knocked on the door of the Oval Office and stepped in. He had his black leather binder with him and a pen in his hand.
"Mr. President, there was something you wanted to discuss?" he asked. Conrad Dalton got up from his chair and came to the sofas.
"Yeah, it's kind of private," POTUS said. Jackson turned, closed the door and came closer. Dalton chuckled.
"OK, bad choice of words. I mean it's not shop-talk," he said.
"Oh," Russell said and sat down. Dalton looked at him carefully.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Jackson's sigh was heavy.
"The plate is just a bit full today," he admitted.
"Russell, perhaps we should discuss another time. You should go home," Dalton suggested. Jackson looked at him and shook his head.
"I don't take that as an order, so no thank you Mr. President," he replied.
"I can make it an order," Dalton offered. Jackson's laugh was bark-like, short.
"Yes, you could but I doubt you will," he said. Dalton huffed and shook his head.
"Fine. OK, the thing I wanted to talk about was Bess," he said.
"Somehow, I assumed she would be the topic," Jackson admitted.
"To be more exact, her birthday is the topic," POTUS said. Jackson grinned.
"Are you finally going to go through with the plan of throwing her a surprise party?" he asked. Dalton smiled.
"Yes. It's been a pretty nasty cycle here and we could all use some fun," he said. Jackson smiled back.
"Just tell me what you want me to do," he offered.
"I wonder if we should let her own staff plan the party," POTUS suggested.
"Sure. Just keep it so small she won't realize they are planning something," Jackson reminded. Dalton shook his head.
"She's an ex spook. We have to throw in such a gear she will never expect a party. It has to be something big enough for her to never even suspect," the President said. Jackson nodded.
"That's going to be one of the hardest tasks they've ever faced," he said.
"Stop smiling like a shark that just saw it's pray," Dalton huffed. Jackson smiled again.
"Just let me enjoy it while I can," he said and got up.
Russell Jackson walked to the State Department. Blake Moran got up.
"I'm sorry Mr. Jackson, but she is not available. She is not here," Moran said. Jackson greeted him with a nod.
"I know. I want you, the speech writer, the media girl and Jay in the conference room in one minute," Russell barked. He was in no hurry, it just amused him to see these people run like rabbits when he told them to.
A minute later all those who were supposed to be at the conference room, were there. Jackson closed the doors.
"We have something to talk about," he said.
"Yes?" Jay asked. The kid had started to irritate Jackson since the very beginning of his role as Bess' Chief of Staff. Trying to keep his feelings at bay, Jackson opened his binder and laid his hand on it.
"I have a task for you all. You will not, under any circumstances speak of this task to the Secretary of State," he said. Matt Mahoney laughed out loud.
"You expect us to work behind her back?" he asked.
"Yes. That is exactly what I expect of you all. She is a trained spy, so she will see things most people, people like you and I would not notice. So, in the name of all that is holy, you people will have to work around her, behind her, above her and under her if needed and work so that she will not have the faintest clue of what is going on," Jackson said. He knew the people would refuse. He just knew it. They were more fierce in their loyalty than most dogs.
"I refuse," Jay said and got up.
"I refuse," Daisy said too and got up. Matt followed suit and Blake was also already up. Jackson stared at all of them for a while, then he started to laugh.
"What, exactly, you find so funny?" Jay asked.
"Sit down. All of you!" Jackson barked and so deep run their fear and possibly some lingering respect for his position, that they actually sat down.
"I expect you to do you very best," he said.
"I still refuse…" Jay started.
"Shut up, puppy!" Russell growled. Jay turned pale.
"Your task, and I am not asking you to accept it, I am telling you, and when I tell you, it is POTUS telling you, so if my power over you isn't enough, go and take this up to him, is to plan and execute the best surprise birthday party Washington DC has ever seen!" Jackson said. Four pair of eyes stared at him.
"Plan a what?" Jay asked.
"Did you say surprise birthday party?" Daisy asked.
"Are you serious?" Matt inquired.
"I think I am in another dimension," Blake commented.
Jackson laughed out loud again.
"Still refusing?" he asked. The Secretary's staff stared at him still.
"You really mean a surprise party?" Daisy asked. Jackson sat down.
"This is POTUS's idea but you four know her the best so plan it and plan it well. I will help you with the execution if needed," White House Chief of Staff said.
"What would you help with?" Matt asked. Then he raised his hands.
"I didn't mean it like that. I meant… well I kind of meant it…" the man stammered. Jackson's grin was evil, but he ignored the bluntness of the question.
"We can't have the party here or in the Oval Office for obvious reasons. You can't close a part of this floor from her without really good explanation and the Oval Office is constantly in use. So, we are going to use the White House Grand Hall. The decorations won't take all that long and she has no real business in there. We'll close the doors and claim it's being painted…" Jackson said.
"Sorry to interrupt, but how will we get her there?" Jay asked.
"Excuse me?" Jackson asked. Jay got up. He was pacing restlessly.
"Nothing wrong with the venue but there is no emergency to take her there. Nothing would take place there if something happened," he said.
"The evacuation space," Daisy said. Matt smiled.
"The Evac space is perfect!" he said.
"Walk me through that," Jackson asked.
"We talk about a woman who has seen it all, so to say. We need to have a real good reason to take her to the White House on her birthday. The only good enough reason to get her there and get her there without a huge fight, would be a national security threat. We are of course inviting her kids and Professor McCord so we will plan them something, like a concert and then her detail gets a call. They rush her to a car and Henry is put in another car. We give her a few traffic jams, so Henry get there first and so everyone is ready in the evac area. That is huge, never used really and no one will talk to her about that place being decorated for something. We use the emergency lights, the DS guides her in and then we pop the lights on and surprise it is," Matt explained. Jackson leaned back. A slow, evil grin crept on his face.
"Perfect," he said.
"We don't have access to the Evac area," Jay reminded them.
"What did I just say about taking care of things you need?" Jackson asked. Jay nodded.
"I'm sorry sir," he said. Jackson scratched his head and closed his binder.
"I will need updates of plans and things you need. We can't really meet. She would never take seriously any reason for us to suddenly have little pow-wows," Russell said.
"I will email you everything," Daisy promised.
"Two more things," Jackson said.
"Yes, sir?" Jay asked. His tone had changed completely.
"Her family has to be in the whole plan. We can't have them planning another party and her being torn in half by not deciding where to go," Jackson said.
"Done," Daisy agreed.
"Second… invite Nadine Tolliver," Russell suggested. Everyone stared at him again.
"You know that would make her day," he said, took his binder and left.
TBC
