And here's a new story. It's a Lost Girl/Scandal Crossover. I'm trying to balance the elements of both show but I think the longer it goes the less Scandal-y it will become but hopefully not because I love me some Olivia Pope. Anyways...I hope we like this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own the LG characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al. And all Scandal characters be long to the Goddess Shonda Rhimes, Shondaland, and ABC along with any passing mention of Grey's Anatomy characters (I couldn't pass it up)

"Dr. Lewis' campaign, which some deem to be a Cinderella-like story, is gaining steam in the early months of her bid to win the White House. The doctor is youngest presidential hopeful on the campaign trail but her stance on environmental issues, health care reform, and numerous other social and political issues have been resonating with constituents. When her opponents have failed to provide the people with answers Dr. Lewis has delivered impassioned speech after impassioned speech which has resulted in her garnering the trust of those who have the power to make sure that she is elected. In the upcoming eighteen months it will be intriguing to say the least how the doctor will do against veteran senators and one former governor."

Lauren turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the hotel bed. She normally didn't watch the talking heads on the networks but her campaign manager had insisted that she did so especially since last night's speech to the factory workers in a small town in Nebraska had fallen short. The only reason why it wasn't a complete disaster was due to the fact that Lauren's stance on job creation resonated widely throughout the large crowd that had assembled to hear her speak. Lauren sighed as she sat down on the edge of bed then ran her hands through her hair before placing her elbows on her knees. Her hands remained buried in her hair as she, for the millionth time, tried to figure out what she was doing running for president. She should have started with something small like governor or senator but the current political climate had forced her hand and now she was running for president. The grassroots campaign had been so small in the beginning that Lauren believed that no one was going to take her seriously and that her, and her small team, probably wouldn't make the byline of a national newspaper. But the former manager of her presidential campaign had convinced her to release a series of videos online where she discussed the major problems of the country and how she planned to face them. The response to the videos was instantaneous and everything that followed after appeared to happen overnight. Donations came flooding in. Big companies who believed in her causes started to fund her campaign and she was being invited to speak across the country. Now here she was two years later and eighteen months away from Election Day with her campaign building more support as each day passed.

Lauren ran into the bathroom and headed for the toilet. After lifting the lid she vomited then she sat back on her haunches before falling back against the tub. Public speaking made her nervous and lately that's all she had been doing. So she vomited before every speaking engagement. Lauren pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes and tried to centre herself. She needed a day off from campaigning. She wanted to be back in the operating room saving lives. She wanted be at home with her wife and talking about redecorating some room in their house even though they would never do it. She just wanted to experience a moment of normalcy. Lauren let out a deep sigh. She wanted to be anywhere that wasn't the middle of nowhere South Dakota and she didn't want to be almost two hours away from giving a speech to a gymnasium filled with fire fighters, teachers, police men, and other blue collar workers. Lauren's phone began to ring and she stumbled off of the bathroom floor then jogged over to the nightstand that it was lying on. She answered it without looking at display, "Hey."

"Uh-oh. I don't like that tone." Lauren smiled and sat down on the bed. This was the voice that she needed to hear before walking the gauntlet. This voice centred her and made her feel at ease. "Did you puke already? We don't need a repeat of Little Rock."

Lauren grinned and answered her wife, "Yes I did. Although I was just about to brush my teeth when you called."

Rachel chuckled in her ear, "You should go do that. I'll wait."

Lauren laid down on the bed and told her, "I'll do it after I talk to you. How was your day?"

Rachel sighed then said, "As uneventful as it can be being the wife of a presidential hopeful."

Lauren frowned and asked, "Has the press been out of control? Are you okay?"

"Calm down sweetie. It's nothing." Then she explained, "They ask me what I think about your townhall meetings and speeches and I don't say thing." Rachel chuckled, "Secret Service has been good about making sure that I'm well protected and that I have my privacy. I'm good honey." Rachel's reassurance didn't ease any of Lauren's worry.

Rachel wasn't cut out to be the wife of a politician but she supported Lauren's ambitious desire to capture the White House. Before Lauren had filed any of the official paperwork the two of them had talked about her run for president and how it could possibly affect them and for the most part Rachel had encouraged her to go for it but she had explicitly told Lauren that she wouldn't be travelling around the country with her and that she needed a normal life. And because of that Rachel was at home in Seattle being the brilliant neurosurgeon that she was while Lauren did a tour of the Midewest. Though Lauren missed her wife terribly. She sighed and said, "How are things at the hospital? Have they found anyone to fill my position yet?"

Rachel laughed in her ear then told her, "You know the board is trying to hold off on filling your position. They want to see if you win the election so that way if you lose, which you won't, they can woo you back then say that they have a former presidential candidate as the chief of their cardiothoracic department."

Lauren laughed then told her, "I'm going to want my own wing if they're looking to woo me back." She let out a soft chuckle and remarked, "Although from what I the board might do anything to get me back. I still talk to one of the nurses on my floor, Tyler, and the doctor they put in to replace me, Yang, is a little too hardcore and the residents are having a hard time working with her."

Rachel chuckled then commented, "It's true but she does have some big shoes to fill Lauren. I mean you are a tough act to follow."

Lauren rested her eyes for a second as a happy feeling came over her while she talked to her wife. These types of moments were becoming less frequent because of her ever growing schedule so she tried to enjoy them to the fullest. Lauren took a deep breath then exhaled, "Well I'm certain everyone will be fine once she is settled into the position." Then she smirked, "And who knows, she might become so good at the job that they won't even ask for me back."

"Or they might make you co-heads of the department." Rachel countered before adding, "And I hear Yang doesn't share well." She chuckled which was followed by a brief pause. When she spoke again Lauren could hear the apprehension in her voice when she quipped, "Maybe instead of going back to work we could talk about that other thing we've been thinking about." Lauren let out a heavy sigh. Not this topic again. She knew Rachel was only mentioning it as a passing suggestion but they had agreed to talk about it more once the election was over. When Lauren still hadn't said anything Rachel scoffed, "Geez Lauren I was only joking."

"I know you were." Lauren responded. The irritation was evident in her voice and right away she knew she had to apologise, "I'm sorry Rach. I just want to be home with you and I need a break."

"Tell Cara that you need a break. I'm certain she can work something around so you can come home for the weekend or something." Rachel told her even though they both knew that wasn't possible. Lauren's Midwest tour was to continue for another two weeks and it was filled with speaking engagements, public appearances, and TV segments.

Lauren sighed then smiled, "I'm going to figure something out because I need some semblance of normalcy in my life." There was a knock on her room door and she called out, "Come in."

The door opened and in walked her raven haired campaign manager who's vibrant green eyes held a modicum of warmth in them so they matched the small smile that was on her face, "Hey boss I wanted to run through some key points with you."

Lauren heard Rachel scoff in her ear. Even though she was cordial to Cara when they interacted Rachel had never liked the woman. When Lauren had introduced her wife to her new campaign manager Rachel had told her afterwards that she didn't like Cara. And despite her misplaced lack of trust, Lauren thought Rachel was handling her dislike of Cara quite well. This was one of many traits that made Lauren believe that her wife would make an excellent first lady. "Can you give me a moment Cara? I'm on the phone with Rach."

"Sure thing. Tell her I said hi." Cara said right before she walked out of the room.

Rachel laughed, "I'm sure she says hi."

Lauren rolled her eyes and told her, "Easy now Rach." Then she asked, "Are you ever going to tell me the reason why you have a problem with Cara? She's trying to get me into the White House and so far she's done an amazing job at it. Do you not want me to get elected?"

Lauren heard the annoyance in her Rachel's voice when she replied, "Are you serious Lauren? You already know my issue with her."She scoffed, "And you know I wouldn't stop you from trying to achieve something you're so passionate about."

Lauren was aware of Rachel's problem with Cara but she believed her wife was being paranoid about the dark haired woman. Lauren smiled, "Babe you've got nothing to worry about. Cara is married with two kids." She sighed then said, "She's the only one the campaign who knows what it's like to miss someone who's back home. It's given us a sense of camaraderie."

"I get that Lauren. But I've seen the way that she looks at you sometimes and I feel like she wants to take it beyond this professional relationship that you have with her." Rachel countered not letting go of the topic.

Lauren was done with the conversation. It was one that they had had many times before and it was becoming exhausting but she wanted to make sure that Rachel understood Cara's place in her life. "Rachel this is the last time that we have this discussion because Cara is staying. She has a good track record in getting people elected and her tenacity is something to be rivalled."Frustrated that they were discussing this again Lauren ran her hand through her hair, "You just have to trust me sweetie. And the fact that you're questioning this at all makes me think that you don't."

Rachel let out an incredulous sigh, "You know I trust you Lauren. It's just-"

"It's just nothing Rachel." She paused for a second then said, "You have to trust me enough to take care of any situation that your mind has come up with. I love you and you're the only one I want to be with. Okay?"

The line was quiet a moment then Rachel acquiesced, "Okay. It looks like I don't have much a say in the matter anyway." Lauren bit her tongue so the argument could end but Rachel continued, "You've made your decisions and I will live with them but do know I will cash in on all this patience that I'm showing after the election."

Lauren shook her head and the frustration was barely concealed in her voice as she said, "You've got to be kidding me."She took a deep breath to calm herself, "I have to go Rachel." She hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed then let out an aggravated noise. Rachel wanted kids. And Lauren was more than ready for kids but when they decided that she would run for president they also decided that having kids during this time wasn't a wise choice and that it wouldn't be a good idea for the first two years of Lauren's presidency if she was elected. Lauren didn't want Rachel raising a baby by herself. She sighed then got off the bed deciding that she needed to do some work to get her mind off of Rachel and their almost argument. She walked out of the bedroom and into the living room of the hotel suite which was a bustling hive of activity. Some members of her team were on the phone while others were talking about fundraising and the woman orchestrating it all was sitting on the couch with her laptop. Lauren walked over to the couch and sat next to Cara. The woman continued to look at her computer as she stated, "That took longer than normal. Usually when you're on the phone with her and I tell that there are things we need to go over you get her off the phone right away."

Lauren rolled her eyes and shot back with, "My wife takes priority."

"No. The campaign takes priority Lauren." Sharp green eyes looked at her, "Do you not realise how much money is pouring so you can elected? Grandmas in Michigan are sending you their pension checks because they believe in you. So I need you to be about this campaign."

"I am about this campaign Cara."

Cara let out a soft snort, "No you're not. I can see the fear in your eyes every time I show you the numbers." The woman lowered her voice, "I know you want to back out of this, but it's too late. We've filed. You've raised money. Too many man hours have already been put in to make you, Doctor Lauren Lewis: The Doctor of The People, President of The United States. So your only priority is this fucking campaign and the sooner you realise this then the easier my job will be."

Lauren stared the woman down. Cara could be intense, brash, and unforgiving at times but it's what Lauren's campaign needed to make it through the next six months and primaries. "Are you telling me that my wife comes second to this?"

"If your wife was smart she would have realised that this is also her priority." Cara countered before getting a contemptuous smile on her face, "But Rachel obviously has something to prove in all this and I will continue to allow her to do whatever but once primaries come around that changes." She gave Lauren a piercing look, "Then she will be doing whatever is needed so that you look like the best candidate for the job while winning the hearts of the American people." Cara looked back at her computer screen and answered Lauren's question, "And yes she does. If she doesn't want to come second then her ass should be here."

"She's a surgeon and I'm not going to force her to travel the country with me just because of some political game." Lauren argued.

"Then you shouldn't have gotten into politics doctor." Cara responded before she changed the topic, "Your speech falls short and you're missing your core audience for this appearance which is the middle-aged white male who's attached to his religion."

Lauren continued to stare at her campaign manager. She couldn't stand the woman at times and whenever she was on the edge of firing Cara, Lauren had to remember that she had come highly recommended by her former campaign manager. Lauren was reluctant to agree, but Cara had been right. She needed to get serious about the race and she needed to talk to Rachel about her role as her wife during the campaign. It was a conversation that was going to be long and intense but it needed to be done especially with primaries right around the corner. "I want to go home tomorrow."

Cara was typing something and she let out a quick laugh, "You're funny. I've have three appearances planned in Wyoming for you tomorrow then a fundraiser dinner in Idaho. Then you're doing a public appearance at a hospital in Montana on Sunday. You can probably go home the week after next."

"I'm going home tomorrow. Reschedule everything. Tell them I came down with the flu. Hell I'll do a press release if necessary but I'm not doing any of it and I'm going home." Lauren told her campaign manager then she further added. "I'm burned out and I need to see Rachel."

Lauren let her head rest against the back of the couch and she focused on the ceiling of the room while Cara sat quietly beside her. She knew Cara was coming up with new ways to kill her but after a moment had passed Cara said in a clipped tone, "Go. And when you come back we're hitting the locations you're blowing off then we're doing a tour of the East Coast."

Lauren looked at Cara with a surprised expression on her face. She was amazed that the woman had conceded so quickly but she was grateful for it. Lauren grinned, "See Cara I knew you would see things my way."

Cara scoffed as she pulled out her phone, "I'm setting up an interview with the Wake Up, Seattle! for Sunday. I'll e-mail you the lines that we're sticking with and you can spruce them up to fit the occasion." She looked at Lauren, "Rachel is to be on air with you." Lauren opened her mouth to say something but Cara held up her hand, "No Lauren she needs to get used to being in the limelight and I need to know if she needs to be coached or not." She further explained, "We talk about your wife. We talk about how you two have a solid foundation as a couple and how you draw strength from her but people need to see that pillar of strength. Let her know that she'll be going to the dinner in Idaho and I want her on the East Coast tour." Lauren wanted to argue everything thing Cara had just said but the woman was already on her phone with Secret Service, "Hello Keith. Dr. Lewis will be heading home to Seattle tonight and travel arrangements need to be made."

Lauren got up and headed for the bedroom. She had gotten what she had wanted but she had also inadvertently thrown Rachel into Cara's crosshairs. This meant that she, at some point, was going to have to bear witness to a Rachel and Cara show down that wouldn't end well. As she began to pack Lauren concluded that the two women could agree on one thing and that was seeing her elected president.

Saturday Afternoon...

The town car pulled up to the house and Lauren was excited to be home even though she knew one hell of an argument was about to happen. She waited until the Secret Service agent opened the door for her then she got out. She and Rachel lived in a relatively remote location of Seattle but the homes were beautiful and she couldn't imagine living anywhere else. She walked up the long pathway that led to the front door. Rachel wasn't home yet but Lauren knew that she would be there shortly. Lauren and the two Secret Service agents that were escorting her went inside. Rob, the lead agent, stopped her from going further, "Just a moment Lauren. We have to do a sweep of the inside of the house."

Lauren nodded. It had taken her a few weeks to get used to the ever present agents but now, two months later, she had finally gotten used to them and thought of them as an important part of the team. She waved her hand at the man and told him, "Go ahead Rob. All you'll find is a messy ass house because Rachel doesn't clean. You guys want something to drink?"

Sean, the tall dark skinned agent, pulled off his sunglasses as he followed her to the kitchen, "I'll have a glass of water. Where's Rachel?"

Lauren saw the pile of dishes in the sink and she shook her head as she went into the cabinet to get a glass. She opened the refrigerator then pulled out the pitcher of water and poured Sean some water. "She's at the hospital." Lauren handed the man the glass, "She e-mailed me a day ago and told me that she was getting in a VIP patient so she scheduled them on her light day."

He nodded and Lauren started to clean the dishes in the sink while he did a walkthrough of the first floor. About a half an hour later she was cleaning off the counters in the kitchen when Rob walked in saying, "I got the all clear from Sean on the outside. But he's calling your home a nice tactical nightmare because of the dense woods you have surrounding it along with the massive backyard."

Lauren gave him a cheeky smile, "Well if anyone is trying to kill off this presidential hopeful then they will have to run through the massive backyard." She held up a finger and added, "Also Rachel's detail seems to have managed quite well."

Rob rolled his eyes in mock irritation, "Yeah well your wife is usually at the hospital when you're not home so it's easier for them. Do you want to talk about rotations and tomorrow morning?"

Lauren went over to the kitchen sink then opened the cabinet underneath it and put away the cleaning spray as she said, "No I do not. I want to take a shower then grab a glass of wine then possibly cook a meal that will not be brought to me in a Styrofoam container."

Rob chuckled and shook his, "Okay."

Lauren headed upstairs to her and Rachel's room and when she walked into the room the first thing she noticed was that it was messy but not as messy as it could have been. The bed was unmade which wasn't unusual but there were random piles of clothes on the floor; a laundry basket full of clean clothes was sitting on the wooden bench at the end of their bed; and there were medical journals strewn all over the floor on Rachel's side of the bed. Lauren had wanted to hire a maid before she headed out on her campaign tour but Rachel had told her no and that she didn't trust a stranger to clean their home the way they liked it. But seeing the current state that the room was in made Lauren change her mind on that and she was going to hire one as soon as possible because this was ridiculous. She walked into their adjoining bathroom and it was clean so that was one thing she could give Rachel. Lauren started the shower then stripped out of the clothes that she was wearing. She was dressed as if she had gone to a public event even though she had spent most of the day travelling. But that was one of the downfalls of being in the scrutinising eye of the public. She always had to be on. To show that she could remain poised, polite, and always ready for any interactions with the press or the public. Luckily for her the flight home was chartered and the hangar was in a remote area that was wooded.

Lauren got into the shower and the hot water sprayed on her then she turned around so the powerful spray could hit her tense neck and shoulder blades. Even though she would be on a flight to Wyoming in less than twenty-four hours this was exactly what she needed. Being back in her familiar environment was relaxing enough. The only thing that would make it better would be a glass of red wine and her beautiful wife joining her in the shower. Lauren let the water rain down on her a moment longer then she turned around so she could wash up. Lauren was going through the motions of washing her hair when she heard the glass door of the shower slide open. She grinned as the faint smell of cherry blossoms filled her nostrils and it turned into a full blown smile when she felt a kiss being placed on her shoulder. The kiss was followed by a gentle bite to her shoulder then Rachel murmured, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?"

Lauren rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and off of her face then turned around to look into mirthful blue eyes that were looking at her. She leaned in and kissed Rachel. It was a soft kiss at first but the moment their lips met she didn't want to stop kissing her. Rachel pulled Lauren closer to her as she wrapped her arm around her waist which caused the kiss deepen. The woman moved them to where Lauren was pinned against the side wall of the shower. She kissed down the length of Lauren's neck and whispered, "God I you have no idea how bad I've wanted to have you here with me. Touching you..." Lauren felt her wife's hand slide up the wet skin of her side to the underside of breast then she used her index finger and thumb to tweak her hardening nipple causing Lauren to let out a soft moan. "Kissing you..."Rachel's lips found hers again and the two of them let the stress of life and the campaign fade away and it was replaced with their passion and love for each other. Lauren was happy that they were able to have this one moment of getting lost in each other because she knew that once they started talking about things that went beyond asking how their day was their reunion bubble would pop and they would be at odds with each other. So as Rachel's fingers glided into her, Lauren let her head fall back against the wall of shower and surrendered herself over to the woman that she loved.

Lauren took a long drink from her wineglass. Things were tense between her and Rachel. After they had sex in the shower and washed they made love for another hour before Lauren decided that the two of them needed to eat something and that they couldn't have sex the entire time that she was home. And when they had sat down to eat things were light hearted and they were happy but then Lauren brought up the housekeeper thing. Rachel had turned down the suggestion which lead to Lauren being persistent on the topic then Rachel eventually stopped talking. Lauren carefully placed her wineglass down and said, "If you don't want someone to give you a hand with maintaining the house that's fine."

Rachel looked at her and the woman's blue eye's held a sceptical look in them as she wondered, "Are you really going to let this go just like that?"

Lauren let out defeated sigh then told her, "I've been learning diplomacy Rach and this is my showing you a little." She took another drink from her wine glass then said, "Plus this is one of those pick your battle situations and this is me deciding that this is not worth fighting over. If you're happy I'm happy."

Rachel bit her bottom lip then she shook her head and chuckled, "So if this isn't worth fighting about Lauren then what is?" She picked up the bottle of wine then poured some in her glass, "Also this isn't you being diplomatic. This is you placating me."

Lauren laughed then pointed out, "I've been placating you for a while honey and trust me...this is diplomacy."

Rachel raised a blonde eyebrow at her and said, "Placating me? How the hell have you been placating me? If anything I have been placating you." Rachel got up and scoffed, "You wanted to be the head of cardio so I was the supportive wife and moved across the country for you and away from a hospital where I was basically guaranteed to become chief of surgery."

"I told you we could have stayed Rachel. I never asked you to move for me. I was happy with staying in Baltimore." Lauren argued. Before they had moved to Seattle and when she was weighing her options Lauren had known that being the head of cardiology wasn't going to happen if she remained at Johns Hopkins but she had been doing research at the facility that would make a difference and that was all that mattered to her. It was the council of one of her superiors that gave her the push to finalise the Seattle position and Rachel supported the decision without complaint.

Rachel rolled her eyes and shot back, "That's bull shit Lauren. You would have blamed me for holding back your career."

Lauren gave the other blonde an incredulous look, "Rachel are you serious?" She immediately stood up and walked over to her wife. She gently placed her hand on her face and told her in a low voice, "I would never blame you for you for something of that nature. I love you and if you had said that you wanted to stay in Maryland then we would have stayed." Lauren saw the fight leave Rachel's eyes and she sighed, "I married you because I love you Rachel and marriage means a lot of compromise and that was one compromise I would have been willing to do for you had you told me."

Rachel took a deep breath then said, "I didn't mean to bring that up and I don't resent you for anything. I'm just frustrated." She looked into Lauren's eyes and admitted, "Having you gone all this time….it's made me think about some things and I know we've made this decision together, but I sometimes I think I should have told you no when you asked me if I was okay with you running for president. I miss our life. No Secret Service agents. No tours. Just us and our mundane lives."

Lauren gave her wife a small smile then said, "Our lives were far from mundane and if you want something that resembles normalcy then maybe you can take a leave of absence and join me on the tour."

Rachel chuckled and commented, "Joining you and your team of twenty-four on two tour buses is not my idea of mundane or normalcy. Also I have several surgeries that I'm going to lineup." Rachel grinned and told her, "A beautiful tumour was presented to me today and I find it challenging."

Rachel had a dreamy look on her face and Lauren let out a soft laugh, "Come back to Earth." Rachel smiled at her and Lauren took a deep breath before revealing, "You will be joining me on the campaign trail for a dinner in Idaho then Cara would like it if you joined me on the East Coast tour that we'll be doing."

Rachel laughed then moved away from her saying, "No I'm not. I have surgeries. I have a life and my life does not include being on the campaign tour with you."

"Rachel you need to do this. My supporters need to know that my wife isn't an imaginary being. That you actually do exist." Lauren scoffed then wondered, "What was your plan going to be if I do get elected? Hide out in the White House for four years until this blows over? And what if I wanted to run for a re-election?"

Rachel stood there and asked, "I was going to play the role of the first lady and do my job, but that's only if you were elected. Until then I am still me. I still have my life."

Lauren rolled her eyes and remarked, "That's fine but I need you to do me this favour. Then once it is all said and done then you can come back to Seattle and live your life."

Rachel began to clean up their dinner dishes which wasn't a good sign because she only cleaned when she was pissed. This was the argument that Lauren had been waiting for. She only hoped that she would be able to handle it well. Rachel walked into the kitchen and Lauren followed after her. She watched as Rachel put the dishes in the sink and the plates clattered so loud that she briefly wondered if they were broken. "It starts out as one favour. Then another. Then another." She turned around and pinned Lauren with a look that she had never seen before, "When do I get my favour Lauren? A year after the elections? Two years? Or do I have to wait until your term is over which by then I shouldn't even bother because it is too late."

Lauren kept her face neutral as she pointed out, "Those are two different things Rachel and you know it. And you know that us having children isn't even possible until maybe two years after I'm elected. Unless you want to raise a child by yourself."

Rachel scoffed and argued, "I do not want to raise a child by myself Lauren, but if that is the drawback to us having kids then so be it."

Lauren shook her head and said, "I'm not going to argue with you about something that we cannot be certain about until after the elections. And once we know if I'm elected then we can go from there."

Rachel was putting away their leftovers and she put down the pan that she was holding, "If you aren't elected and we're still having the same discussion afterwards then I'm going to divorce you."

Lauren stood their stunned and she wanted to come up with something but nothing came to mind. She and Rachel had been together for almost seven years and to have all that history threatened by something that could make or break them was unsettling. Unfortunately for Lauren the conversation was interrupted. Her cell phone began to ring which made Rachel comment, "Tell your new wife I said hello."

"Stop being childish Rachel." Then she answered her phone. "Hi Cara."

Cara chuckled then said, "Don't let her piss you off Lauren. I need you to look at that e-mail before you go on the morning show."

Lauren combed her fingers through her hair then said, "I will do it later. I need to go Rachel and I are talking."

"Oh I'm certain you are. Did you tell her what needs to be done?"

Lauren bit the corner of her lip then said, "I did."

Cara scoffed then said, "Let me guess she's being stubborn and is playing the 'me' card?" Lauren didn't say anything. "Give her the phone."

Lauren let out a short laugh, "Like I'm going to let you talk to my wife especially when I know you two have issues."

Rachel gave her a pointed look and said, "I have no issues with her."

Lauren gave her a look of disbelief and Cara told her, "Get your wife on board or you can say goodbye to the presidency."

The line disconnected and Lauren put down her phone. She was in a precarious situation that currently had her pitting her ambitious aspirations against the woman that she loved. And she truly loved Rachel but it was in that moment that she realised that she was in this race for good and she wanted to be president. Lauren looked at Rachel and declared, "I'm running for president and I want to be President Rachel. I want to do this with you by my side but if you're not willing to play the part that is necessary for that to happen then maybe a divorce is the right course of action for us because you will be nothing but a hindrance to my campaign." She glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight then looked back at Rachel, "You have plenty of time to decide how you want this to play out but the way it is currently going isn't going to work. I have primaries in less than six months and I will be on the road non-stop. If that's something you can't do then let me know. That way I can let Cara know and she can put whatever spin on this so that it doesn't cause any damage to the campaign."

Lauren picked up her phone and walked out of the kitchen. She had thrown down the proverbial gauntlet and now it was up to Rachel to decide if she wanted to be a part of this or not.

Lauren arrived home a little bit before twelve that afternoon. The interview on Wake Up! Seattle had gone well and she had been able to discuss the key points that would be her main focus if she were elected. They had brought up her blunder from a few nights ago but she was able to make light of the situation and was able to explain her mistake before clarifying what she had really meant. Rachel hadn't gone to the interview with her and that morning when Lauren had woken up Rachel's side of the bed was empty. She had figured that she had gone to the hospital or somewhere that allowed her to be far away from Lauren. They hadn't gone to bed together and they didn't speak to each other for the rest of the night. This was the rockiest that their marriage had ever been. As she walked into the house right away Lauren knew something wasn't right. The two Secret Service agents walked in with her and proceeded to do a check of the house. And as Rob headed up the stairs Lauren asked, "Rob can you call Marcus and see where Rachel is?"

He gave her a nod and said, "Certainly Lauren."

She walked into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water and to check her e-mail. Lauren had just sat down on the barstool when she heard Rob yelling, "Code red! Code Red! Moving Mustang to a secure location requesting all back up units at rendezvous point Delta."

Sean ran into the kitchen and took hold of Lauren's arm which made her ask, "Sean what's going on?"

"I will tell you as soon as you are in a secure location." He told her as they made a hasty exit from the house. She was put in the backseat of a Suburban that was idling in her driveway and once the door was closed the vehicle took off.

Lauren demanded, "What the hell is going on and where are you taking me?" When she received no answer Lauren took out her phone and tried making a phone call but she had no service which meant the agents had done something to prevent her from getting service. Lauren let out a frustrated breath and asked again, "What is going on and why isn't anyone telling me anything?"

The female agent in the front seat looked at her and said, "Ma'am we will tell you everything once we are at the safe house."

Lauren conceded to the fact that they weren't going to tell her anything but she did have one more question. "Where's Rachel and is she safe?" The woman only looked at her for a moment before turning around. The sense of dread that Lauren had felt when she walked into the house was getting worse and she asked again, this time she didn't hold back on her anger, "Someone tell me where the fuck my wife is."

Neither of the agents in the front seat answered her and Lauren's worry only grew worse. She didn't ask any more questions because she knew she wouldn't get a response but the pit in her stomach only worsened. An hour and a half later they arrived at a small one-story house and there were several other suburbans in the driveway. Lauren's hopes rose as she thought about Rachel being inside. When one of the agents opened the door for her she was escorted promptly inside the house which was a bustling hive of activity. Sean was already there and barking out orders to the other agents and demanding information. Lauren walked over to him and asked, "Sean what the fuck is going on?"

Sean lowered the phone from his ear and told her, "I'm not clear yet Lauren but there is a threat in the area."

As the anxiety tried to take over her she swallowed then asked, "Where's Rachel?" The man's eyes softened and Lauren recognised the look instantly. She had spent a number of years as a doctor and had come to develop a look that would tell a patient's family that she had done her very best but at the same time it wasn't enough. She had delivered that type of news a number of times in her career and knew the helplessness that came with it and knowing that she wasn't able to save a person's life. In this case Sean looked as though he dreaded telling her the news but at the same time he knew that they had come too far together for him not to tell her. Lauren clenched her jaw then whispered, "Say it Sean."

He sighed and as he opened his mouth Lauren began to respond even though he hadn't said anything yet. The words knocked the breath out of her and she was having trouble breathing but they continued to repeat in her mind, "She's dead Lauren." She had heard nothing else and she couldn't think about anything else. Lauren didn't remember dropping to her knees. She didn't remember crying. She didn't remember anything at all. All she felt was numb, empty, and broken. A piece of her had been ripped away and all that was left was a void that was going to consume her.

What'd we think? Should it keep going or should I go and do something more productive like a sequel or something? Lol. Review please and thank you for reading.