Sir, please, stand ba… she heard one of the secret service men say- but he couldn't even finish his sentence as he rudely got pushed away.
Get the hell out of my way, she heard somebody else's voice hiss.
The secret service officers couldn't do anything against it. They had their weapons drawn to storm the living quarters of Ms. Heller and Chief of Staff Tusker, but Jack went past them. He was sure that nobody in here would shoot at him. If Harry wanted to harm him - he'd have done it long ago.
The men searched all the rooms. Finally, they had also lowered their weapons.
Clear, Jack heard them shout, one by one.
He found a used white towel on the floor and looked at the bathroom door ahead.
Slowly, he went on. The door wasn't locked - it wasn't even completely closed.
Carefully, he pushed it open and found Audrey sitting on the edge of the bathtub.
As she realized he was here she looked up into Jack's eyes.
Wordlessly the two of them stared at each other for a few moments. Nobody said a word.
Jack saw how torn she was. Somehow, her view begged him not to ask any questions. But they both knew that it was too late for that.
One of the secret service agents approached Jack on the outside and told him that the rest of the living quarters was empty.
Give me a few minutes. Wait out here, Jack answered and left the agents alone out on the hallway as he stepped into the bathroom.
Slowly he strode the few steps over to Audrey.
She had at first buried her face in her hands, then she hugged herself because of the cold, staring at a point far far away, in her thoughts.
Jack was worried about her.
Cautiously he knelt down in front of her and waited until she had calmed down at least that much that she could look into his eyes.
She had cried.
„Audrey…", Jack silently began.
She sniffed.
„What happened to you? Are you okay?", he asked in a whisper. He saw her shake and tremble. Cautiously he laid his left hand at her knee, but as he did it, he could see that it didn't make things better - even worse. „Where's Harry?"
„Jack.", she began, took a deep breath and wiped some tears away. „You told me you'd not do anything stupid."
He nodded. He heard the accusing tone in her voice. „I know."
„You promised me.", she sobbed and helplessly slammed her fist against his torso. „Goddamnit." Harder, once more. „I was always on your side!", she hissed. „And you…"
Jack was stunned by her sudden aggressiveness. He grabbed her by her upper arms. Rudely- to stop her from hitting him again. „Would you please tell me what's going on here?", he hissed back.
She looked into his eyes. „You ask me? About that? Jack, Harry just told me that you're going to throw this peace conference away. You're about to start the third world war." She was endlessly angry at him.
„Is that what he told you?" Jack couldn't believe it as he heard what was going on behind his back. „Where is Harry?", he asked again. „Audrey, I want to know what happened here. Did he hurt you?"
She wordlessly shook her head.
Jack feared that she wouldn't talk about it at all. She was torn between her loyalty to Harry and the rest of their both feelings for each other.
„Audrey…. please.", he implored and gave her a few moments, „You called me. I heard you scream my name. I heard your and Harrys voices, arguing… Audrey, please" He was worried about her. No matter if she'd tell him the truth or not, he needed to know if she was safe here.
For a moment he even forgot the treaty and the negotiations.
Audrey pulled herself together. She took a deep breath and then looked into Jack's eyes. „Promise me you won't harm him."
Jack hesitated. He had a hard time giving Audrey a promise that he'd be hardly able to keep. Hesitatingly he answered I promise.
„Tell me what's going on here." … please.
Audrey finally stood up and went across the room. She leant onto the sink and looked into the large mirror in front of her, seeing Jack stand up, too.
„As I came home, half an hour ago… Harry was talking to Brighton. About you. I don't know anything else about it. I eavesdropped on them."
„You mean Chester Brighton, the Secretary of State's right hand man?"
Audrey nodded her head. „Yes. They had…. some bags with pieces of evidence. Don't know what for, but I believe they were making up some plans. Against you."
Jack's features turned earnest.
„I don't know anything else about it, Jack.", she continued. "I saw a black and white photo in a sealed bag. It was a war scene.. or something like it. They had a gun and something else, probably a bullet."
„How would you know that they are conspiring against me?"
She needed a few monuments to decide what to tell him. She had already said too much- that relationship with Harry was over. It made her sad.
Audrey raised her view and seized up Jack.
He looked good in his suit. Strong. Sincere. Honest. Focused.
But looks could be deceiving. As she thought back to their conversations from a few days ago, she remembered that it was way different. He was acting a role, performing duties that he probably wasn't even up to. He had nobody on his side.
As much as she wanted to be the one - the only one on his side - she simply couldn't do it. Not if what Harry had told her was true. Not if Jack was throwing this peace away. There was too much at the stake.
Being on his side was plain wrong.
„Audrey?", Jack asked. He felt uncomfortable being seized up like this.
„Are you really throwing the peace treaty away?", she asked him.
The man she saw in the mirror nodded his head yes. „I fear that's what they'll be saying in the evening news. I called the official statement and signature off what was planned for today afternoon."
She saw him approach her from behind.
Audrey closed her eyes. She felt how he softly placed his hand at her shoulder. „You promised me you wouldn't do it without a reason.", she breathed.
He leant over and whispered into her ear „I do have a reason. I promised you, remember?"
„To throw away what 20 people negotiated in five days?", she sadly smiled, „To put our country at war and kill i don't know how many soldiers? Can there even be a reason for something like this?"
He forced her to turn around to him. They stood, facing each other, faces only inches apart.
„Yes.", Jack answered. „Yes, there is."
„Tell me."
„Tell me what happened in here."
—
Half an hour earlier, Audrey's and Harry's quarters
„GIVE ME THE PHONE!", Harry shouted and thew himself against the bathroom door. The lock broke and stumbled into the room.
Again, Audrey screamed. But it was not Jack's name any more. She just screamed.
He grabbed the phone and ripped it out of her hand, took it and smashed it at the floor with full force. It broke into a thousand pieces.
She yielded back into the far corner of the room. She couldn't believe that the man who had shared a bed with her for the past year was suddenly so aggressive.
Harry took a few deep breaths to calm down.
„I'm sorry, Audrey.", he breathed. „This it not against you. I hope you know that."
„About what is it then?", she answered, her voice shaking.
„Did you talk to Jack lately?", he asked her.
She didn't answer.
Harry frowned. „You don't have to tell me anything, Audrey. I've been following you both." He kicked some of the pieces of the shattered mobile phone around as if he wanted to see that it was really completely destroyed. „If you wanna go back to him… fine." He turned around to her. „But I won't let him ruin this country."
Audrey saw his determinedness. „How, Harry, huh? It's not that easy to overthrow a Vice President."
He shook his head. „Normally not. But the congress and the cabinet are against his recent decisions. Don't forget that. They'll all be behind me."
„That alone is not enough, Harry." She tried everything to calm him down although she had no illusion of being able to talk him out of overthrowing Jack. „To get them to vote for an Article 25, you need more."
„I have more, trust me. Evidence I never wanted to use."
For a last time he looked around in the room, shook his head slightly, as if he wanted to tell her that anything she said right now wouldn't matter anyway and turned around to leave.
…
„He said he had some evidence.", Audrey muttered. She looked into Jack's eyes, asking him the silent question: what is it that you've done? what makes him have evidence to push you out of office?
Jack didn't answer. He went over to the door, looked outside and told the secret service agents to find Harry and Brighton and put them into holding.
He turned back to Audrey a last time. „I know what you've done for me…. telling me all this. Thank you."
She just nodded and murmured don't hurt him.
Feeling uneasy, Jack went out of the room. He had answered nothing.
She rushed after him, ripped the door open and found the group of men leaving her living quarters. „Jack!", she shouted. „Tell me you won't do that!"
He turned around, walking, but said nothing. And he didn't stop.