Chapter Seven: "Love Is Not A Victory March."

She's on hold. And she can't quite decide if she's cranky. She knows she's being selfish. She can admit to that. But she had hoped for an early evening tonight. She had hoped that when they were done with the town hall meeting that she could head home. She's still amazed that it's not just her home anymore. It's "their" home. And for the first time since, well since she doesn't know when, that thought doesn't scare her stiff. She knows that it's because it is Ron. If she were sharing her home with anyone else it wouldn't be like this. Ben had set her teeth on edge after two days. Toby had been the first and she had become exhausted trying to not upset the balance then. But this, with Ron, is easy. It's comfortable. She laughs when she remembers the scowl on Toby's face when she had told him that it just felt "right". He had begged her not to use cliché, but she couldn't help it. It did feel right.

The line clicks and she sits up in her chair.

"Hey."

"Hey there yourself, CJ."

"Have you seen the thing with the pilot?"

"Yeah. I assume that means you're calling to tell me that we won't be able to leave early tonight."

"Well, you probably will. But, I think I'll have to brief at least once after we get back. Sorry."

"It's okay. It's your job."

"Yeah. Anyway, I just... well, I thought I'd give you a heads up."

"That's not fair."

"What?"

"You know how sexy I find it when you use your professional voice."

She laughs and hears him chuckling as well. She sighs and cradles the phone closer to her neck.

"Well, I don't want you to suffer."

She giggles and shakes her head. She's still amazed at his ability to make her feel like a teenager sometimes.

"I'll see you tonight then."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye, CJ."

She hangs up and goes back to the pile of information on her desk about Stealth fighters and ejection seats. She makes a mental note to check with Toby before she goes to her next briefing. She doubts that she'll get many questions about the space shuttle, but she's worried about him. And David. She still can't believe that Sam didn't even know that Toby has a brother in NASA. She chides herself for forgetting to tell Ron about the signal. She knows that he'll get a kick out of Sam coming up with the hand gesture. She makes another mental note to tell Ron when she sees him tonight.

~*~

He's done all the prep work for tonight. He's talked to Gina and knows that Zoey will be coming as well. And he's just finished the discussion about Girl's softball with the President. He smiles. He just might get that early night with CJ after all. The pilot has been rescued. So it doesn't look like CJ will have to brief again. He knows that the military guys do their own briefings for this sort of thing.

He's heading towards the cars when he sees her. He can't help the extra beat his heart takes at the sight of her. She looks particularly good in blue, he thinks. And the blouse is open enough for him to admire the expanse of her chest. He knows what hides below the open neck, and he reminds himself to breath. He has never felt this way with another woman. And he thanks his lucky stars one more time for having her in his life.

He watches as she turns her head and sees him. His heart skips a beat this time as her smile widens. He stops and lets her make her way towards him. He glances around, as much out of habit, and sees than nobody is paying any attention to them. But, he lowers his voice anyway.

"Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?"

She almost blushes and shakes her head. The smile grows even bigger.

"You keep that up, and I may just have to keep you around."

"I certainly hope so."

She laughs a small laugh and steps an inch closer. He knows that CJ won't get too close here. She still doesn't want to announce their relationship. And he understands. Even though a small part of him would love nothing more than to scream from the top of the Washington Monument that she's with him. But, she's right. The press nightmare is enough reason to stay silent.

"So, now that the pilot is safe, you should be able to get out of here early, right?"

"I think so. I have to get the guys from the Pentagon into the briefing room after we get back. But, that shouldn't take long. And the press corps is mad at me now, so they'll be just as happy asking somebody else the questions."

"They're mad?"

"Well, Danny mostly. But, yeah. I lied to them. And they don't take kindly to that."

"You did what you had to do, CJ."

"I know. I told Danny I was sleeping fine tonight."

Her eyebrows rise and the corner of her mouth inches upwards into a smirk.

"Maybe I should have said that I'd be sleeping fine in the morning."

He can't help but laugh at her. She is so sexy when she's like this. He sees Carol hovering at the end of the hallway and nods in that direction.

"I think you're wanted."

"Yeah. The busses are leaving. I have to go. If I don't see you there, I'll see you when we get back."

"Okay."

He watches her walk to where Carol is waiting and follows her with his eyes as she leaves the building. He shakes his head and goes outside to the cars, knowing that the President has yet to leave the Oval Office. He thinks that they'll both be sleeping fine. At some point.

~*~

Things keep getting better and better. And she can't help but smile. The pilot was rescued this afternoon. The President is killing them out there. And Toby's brother is safe. She got the sign from Sam. She still hasn't told Ron about the sign. She'll have to remember to do it for him when they get home. She's feeling so pleased about things that she decides to give Danny a small tip. It's the least she can do.

~*~

If he weren't on duty, he would laugh. He can't believe that with as much time as Gina has spent on Bookbag's detail that she hasn't yet learned about the President's penchant for sports. Of all kinds. He would laugh, but he can't. He scans the area and gets a perimeter check. He hears Gina telling Mike that Eagle won't be working the rope line. And hears Morrow confirm that they're ready to go inside. Ron heads back to the gates for his detail to meet him there.

~*~

She's talking to Sam. She hears the President call Toby. And she sighs a little when she sees them head for the rope line. She knew it was too good to be true. But, she'll still be ready to go when they get back to the White House. She's already sent Carol to the busses with the copy of the stats that were used. She hears noise – maybe somebody yelling – and then pops. Staccato shots ringing in her ears. Somebody slams into her and she staggers. She reaches out, but she's not sure anymore who she's reaching for. Then someone else is throwing her down. Her head slams to the concrete. She feels, more than hears, glass exploding on top of her. And then, there is blissful blackness.

~*~

He watches the Presidential group come down the ramp. Sees Gina take Bookbag. Glances briefly at Flamingo before following Eagle and Hemingway. He's scanning the crowd and the buildings. He's looking to their right. He hears "Gun!". And he's grabbing Eagle. Pushing him towards the car. He can't help but hear the shots being fired, but he isn't distracted by them. Knows they're coming from above. He feels something in his right hand, like he hit the barricade or the car door. He's shouting instructions. Coop's got the car going and he's shoving Eagle into the floor. Crawls on top of him. Gives the order to get them the hell out of here. And as the car speeds away and he finally lets Eagle sit up he notices that the pain in his hand is from a bullet.

~*~

CJ's sitting up. She's not quite sure how she managed that. She's trying to focus, but things are a little blurry. A paramedic has moved her to the hood of a car. He's asking her questions. She feels like she's almost back, almost herself. And she knows she answers correctly. Her head is throbbing. Even more so now that she doesn't have an answer. Is the President dead? She sees Sam. Relief. He's okay. And the President and Zoey. And he would tell her if Ron had been hurt. He would. She feels steadier on her legs, although looking at those broken windows in the car she was standing next to didn't help much. She starts to walk with Sam when she's frozen in place. She hears Toby's voice. But not his voice really, it's anguished. Strangled. She turns and sees his face and Josh slumping to the side. She runs and forgets everything else.

~*~

He's grabbed one of the first aid kits from the door panel and has wrapped his hand in a bandage while the President has talked to Zoey. The president doesn't seem to understand why they got cut off and now it's up to Ron to explain that she's being sick. He's already coordinated with the agents at the Residence and those left at the scene. He knows where everyone is and what they're doing. And he's explaining it to the President for the third time when he sees the blood. And Ron's heart stops. He's failed. He checks the president's body and his hand comes out of the jacket covered in blood. He gives the order and gets on the phone to GW. He talks to the duty nurse and hangs up. They'll be there in a minute.

"Hang on, Sir. We're almost there."

He hears over the earpiece that they've found another victim. GSW to the chest. And as the limo pulls up to the hospital and he gets reports from the agents already there a small part of his mind tells him that he should be more worried about that other victim than he is. But he doesn't have the time right now to try and figure out why. He follows Eagle into the ER.

~*~

She's holding Josh's hand. It had been hanging limply off the gurney, so she had grabbed it. Held tight. Willing him to be okay. She had looked at Toby once since they had piled into the ambulance. She couldn't bring herself to look at Sam. It felt like the world was falling apart. The throbbing in her head had increased ten-fold. And she kept squeezing Josh's hand.

The ambulance lurched to a stop and CJ was forced to let go of Josh as they got him out, headed into the hospital. She saw Leo coming around the corner.

"It's Josh."

Was that her voice? She can't even recognize herself in it. And it occurs to her that there are too many agents for them. Too much security for the Deputy Chief Of Staff. She holds her tongue. Waits until the doctors kick them out of Josh's room. Until Leo can look them in the eye. And she asks. And it's another blow to her heart. And she finds it almost difficult to breathe. But she looks at Toby and Sam and knows that she'll have to be strong. It's the least she can do. Somebody from the hospital is telling them where they can wait, but Leo is holding her arm. She looks at him, questioning.

"CJ, you might want to go down there first."

And Leo's pointing towards curtained areas of the ER. Little rooms with one glass window. And it takes everything CJ has not to break down right there. Not to run away screaming and never come back. She shakes her head and waits for Leo to say it. She can't bear to ask. And because this night has become her worst nightmare imagined, it doesn't even strike her as odd that Leo has pulled her aside for this. That they both know who he's talking about without saying his name.

"He's fine. It's just his hand. Really. Go ahead."

Leo looks into the room where Sam and Toby are. Then back at CJ.

"They'll be fine. Go."

And she can't speak. Wouldn't know the words if she could. So, she nods her head and turns away from him. She heads down the hallway, looking at all the empty rooms. She thinks it odd that nobody is here. And then remembers that they would have moved the other patients someplace else. She sees a nurse come out from one of the curtains and knows that he is there. She hesitates. She's not sure why, but something is holding her back. She's afraid. Terrified that Leo is wrong. That Ron is dead. She's not sure she can deal with that.

Then the curtain moves and he's standing there. Whole and alive. His hand bandaged, but otherwise he looks just like he did this morning and this evening. Was it really just a few hours ago when she saw him last? Except for the blood on his clothes. She wonders if some of it belongs to the President. It's like she's under water. She seems to move slowly. And then she feels his arm around her waist. And his chest underneath her face. And she's sobbing. Crying like there is no tomorrow, and for all she knows there isn't. She hears the whispers in her ear, the hushing sounds. And she feels safe for the first time since she walked out of the Newseum. It feels like the first time in years.

~*~

Ron had done everything he could. Everything he was supposed to do. He had checked in with everyone. Much to the consternation of the nurse who was trying to take him for an x-ray. He knew that it was adrenaline. That was the only way he couldn't feel the pain in his hand as more than a dull ache. And so finally he left Barry in charge of the hospital detail and went with the nurse. He was almost inside the door when he stopped as if struck by lightening. CJ. Where was she? Was she okay? He had done his job perfectly. He hadn't let himself be distracted by anything. Not even the woman he loved. And now he was panicking. He retrieved the earpiece and the microphone that the nurse had taken. He got on the frequency and asked for an update on the staff. And then he heard what he needed more than anything. Flamingo is safe. He knows that Josh has been hurt. And that kicks him in the gut. But he can't do anything about that now. All he can do is surrender his equipment and get the x-ray over with.

His hand is bandaged and he's taken an aspirin. He won't take anything stronger. There's still a suspect out there and he has things to do. The nurse leaves and he hears the shoes approach his area. She stops and he can see her feet. He wonders what's going through her head. But, he decides his desire to see for himself that she's fine is greater than his need to let her do things in her own time. So, he pulls open the curtain. And there she is. He opens his arms and she melts into them. She's crying and it almost breaks his heart, the pain she's in. He wants to make it all better for her, but he knows he can't. All he can do is hold her and try to make her feel safe.

End of Chapter Seven