AN: Hi! I'm really happy with all the support I got. Thank you! It's very challenging (but fun), imagining Jack and Renee's life together. This chapter has been extremely difficult. I also had to edit earlier chapters to make some small improvements. Things are moving more slowly than I'd figured it would. Anyway… truly looking forward to hear from all readers! Remember that honest opinions are always very-very appreciated. = ) I hope you all enjoy the chappie = ) And I'm sorry it took me this long,
Disclaimer: 24 is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX (Damn it!). I just own the complete series on DVD, Cherry Jones's earrings from day 8, and Elisha Cubert's necklace from day 7. = )
EVERYTHING WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE
PART 3: THE RIDE WITH YOU IS WORTH THE FALL
Previously: Henry Taylor went on TV saying that Allison and Ethan's had an affair for years, questioning Allison's morality and authority. The White House communications team agreed on a strategy and a new poll to measure Allison's approval ratings was put on the field. Renee is optimistic about it (Chapter 8)
After Renee had a nightmare, Jack got concerned about her refusal to talk about the baby they lost. During 'poker night', Jack found out more about Leo and Renee's strong bond and his insecurities emerged. He confronted her about the important matters she wouldn't say to him, making her see she can't keep pushing him away. Finally, they decide to move in together, like they had planned to do before the miscarriage.
Next: When the poll results are finally revealed, they prove Renee wrong and George right. Renee is surprised to learn how President Taylor's image was affected by the New York debacle and Henry's accusations.
Renee and Jack's first day officially living together may not go all smoothly when money becomes an icky issue.
CHAPTER 11:
APPROVAL RATINGS
October 24rd 2018 – Wednesday
Bethesda, Maryland – Walker's House
05.15 AM
Jack woke up, rubbed his eyes and arched his back to stretch it. Renee was sleeping next to him, on her front, with her arms around the pillow and her head tilted to one side. Still a bit sleepy, he rolled to a side, facing the back of her head. He closed his eyes and practically buried his nose in Renee's cascade of auburn hair to smell its particular essence. Suddenly, the alarm clock began making its intermittent 'beep' sound. Renee stretched an arm and blindly turned it off. Soon, Jack began kissing her neck, back and shoulders. "Morning, sweetheart"
"Morning" Renee rolled over to face him and kissed the spot on his neck right bellow his earlobe. Then she went to kiss his chest, but her lips met only the fabric of his pale green cotton t-shit. Jack had clearly put his clothes back on after she had fallen asleep. So, she kissed his neck again, put an arm around his waist and caressed his back with her hand underneath his t-shirt. "Slept well?"
"Yeah" Jack was happy with the decision they had made. It felt only right. He was still worried about her, though. Since the most painful part of the conversation they had the previous evening was floating in his mind. "You?"
"Me too" Renee responded honestly in a heartbeat. Even though the room was still dark, his concern was clearly visible. He was probably worried because she had cried a river over their baby the night before. But now she wasn't feeling sad. She felt relieved and delighted to have Jack with her. She snuggled even closer to him, wishing they could bottle the warmness and the peace of the moment to take it like a medicine when life got too hard.
His body was starting to react predictably to such close proximity of her naked anatomy. He wanted her badly. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the song 'Another Day', by Paul McCartney, coming loudly from her cell phone. It was Renee's backup alarm. She had chosen that particular song because she liked the cheerful rhythm. Jack groaned annoyed. He was starting to detest that song, since it meant they definitely had to leave the bed.
Renee turned on the lamp over her drawer-nightstand and got her oversized pink-t-shirt from the first drawer. She put it on just to avoid parading around the room naked. When she was about to enter the master bathroom, Jack stopped her putting his arms around her from behind and pulling her closer to him. "Want me to join you?"
She turned to look at him feeling awful about disappointing him. She used to love sharing a shower with Jack. But now the mere suggestion made each inch of Renee's body tense and freeze. "Jack, I…"
"It's okay" Jack interrupted her gently before she could explain or apologize. She didn't have to. He just wished so badly Renee could simply forget all her traumatic experiences and delete the awful memories from her brain. But, sadly, that was impossible for everybody.
"It's not okay" She objected firmly and gravely. It was so not okay that Vladimir's ghost still affected her life.
She seemed to believe that she was disappointing him. But that was not so. Jack tried to reassure her gently caressing her cheek, keeping his eyes on hers. "It's really all right. Please, don't feel bad about it, sweetheart" He then kissed her on the lips to show her that everything was fine between them. "I love you"
"I love you too, Jack" Renee softly breathed out those five words in his ear, hoping he had no doubt in his mind about that. Then she got into the bathroom and, out of pure habit, secured both of the locks in the door.
05.47 AM
After taking a shower in the bathroom adjoining to the studio, Jack went downstairs and got into the kitchen. He still didn't know exactly where everything was in Renee's house, but the location of the coffee was something he had learnt from the very start. So he found it easily and began making coffee for himself and Renee. He made sure to make it very strong, as they both liked it. Soon, Renee walked into the kitchen wearing a navy blue slim skirt with a matching one button blazer and a white blouse. Her hair was looking impeccable, as always. Jack observed her sit by the table opening the laptop that was there. He couldn't help smiling at the sight of her. "Hey, I'm making coffee, would you like some?"
"Yeah, thank you, hun" They exchanged smiles and then Renee started checking her emails.
Jack took two coffee mugs and put them on the counter. One of them said 'please, wait… sarcasm still loading', and had the drawing of a downloading bar charged at 60%, while the other one, Jack's definitive favorite, said 'I'm not always right, but I'm never wrong'. Renee had told him that Leon Craig bought those for her as a joke. Jack had to admit, but only to himself, that they were funny.
Renee headed to the counter and took a bag of Oreo cookies from one of the cabinets, and then ate a cookie. Jack watched her with some concern over her not-very-healthy eating habits. "Please, let me fix you a real breakfast".
"Oh… no… thanks, I like this", she took another cookie and gestured for Jack to take one as well. She knew that he liked those cookies too, but was just being his normal overprotective self. Not surprisingly, he simply took one, letting go the fact that it wasn't 'a real breakfast'. "You should add anything you like to the grocery list, by the way. I put what I could remember, but, just in case…"
"All right" Jack smiled and softly brushed Renee's soft cheek with the back of his hand. Then, he headed to the refrigerator and took the grocery list that was attached to the door with a magnet. The rounded magnet said 'Lyons for U.S. Senate- 2018'. Jack already knew Chandler Lyons's was Maryland's State Attorney, now running for senator, and could become the first republican representing Maryland in the US. Senate since the 80's.
Jack's lips involuntarily curbed up in a grin while he revisited the grocery list. As it turned out, Renee had already written down everything he needed, specifying his favorite brand next to each item. She was so thoughtful and knew him so well. He already knew that much, so he wasn't surprised. He was simply very profoundly moved.
Meanwhile, Renee poured hot black coffee in both mugs and handed Jack his favorite one. Then, she sat back down and went through her schedule, just to check a few things. After that, she took a quick glance at Jack. It occurred her that now, since they lived together, she was supposed to tell him if she ever planned on not being home at any given evening. It felt so strange being accountable to someone else, having to discuss her schedule with a boyfriend. Yet, she was willing to get over the weirdness of it all and just do what she knew was best for their relationship. "So, Jack… The RNC dinner is tomorrow…"
"The fundraiser? That's tomorrow?" Jack had completely forgotten, but now he recalled Renee talking about it. The money raised would go mostly to candidates like Lyons, who were doing quite well in the polls but still needed support, a little 'financial fuel', as they approached the finish line. Besides, during the dinner, President Taylor would give a speech, making her first public appearance since 'the Kanin-gate'.
Renee nodded, confirming that the dinner would be the following evening. "Would you like to go with me?" she made the suggestion quite tentatively. She expected him to say no, since Jack wouldn't like the idea of a formal dinner with a bunch of politicians. But she had to ask anyway.
Jack took a seat next to her as he considered the situation. The event truly didn't sound like something he would enjoy. Indeed, it seemed dull and irrelevant to him. Jack served his country without focusing on the politics. But he definitely didn't want Renee to go to the RNC dinner alone. He felt an instinctive need to stay close to her whenever he could. He liked being around her. Considering so, it was easy deciding what to do. "Okay"
Renee met his beautiful aquamarine eyes and gave him a tiny smile. She was trying to restrain her excitement a little, so he wouldn't feel pressured. After all, she didn't want him to go and have a lousy time just because they were a couple. "But do you really want to? Don't feel obligated…"
"Renee… I don't feel obligated. I want to go because you will be there" Jack affirmed and squeezed her hand gently. He wasn't obligated to go, and neither was she. The President didn't need her to attend that dinner, but Renee really wanted to go and support the party. It meant a lot to her. And Jack honestly wanted to at least try be a part of something that was so important for her. Then, he lovingly placed a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear. "You're so passionate about what you do… that's something really great to watch"
Without hesitation, Renee smiled and kissed him displaying the passion he had talked about She felt incredibly glad to hear him say those words. He had watched her, and heard her, being awful, crazy and dirty. It felt great showing him something different. She wanted him to notice how different she was now. When their lips parted, she was suddenly hit by a realization. "Jack, now everybody is gonna know about us", Renee pointed out the obvious somewhat in awe. Going to that dinner and living together meant, naturally, being a couple officially and publicly. It wasn't a problem at all. She just hadn't truly thought about that until then.
"I know" He nodded and tried to read her expression. "Are you okay with that?"
Renee took a few seconds to figure out how she really felt. "Yeah. I feel pretty good about it. It feels right." She then put one hand on top of one of his. "So, what do you think?"
"I think we should call the Post right now… or rent a billboard", Jack was obviously exaggerating to make his point.
Renee couldn't restrain a chuckle. "Actually, we should just go with the old being-seen-together thing"
"Sounds perfect", he agreed feeling truly pleased.
Washington DC. – White House
06.43 AM
It was a regular Wednesday morning in the West Wing of the White House. Eric Denzel Pratt received a pile of folders from one of the speechwriters. Then he noticed the time and rushed back to the outer area of his boss's office. He spotted the White House Chief Of Staff predictably arriving. Very quickly, he left most folders over his desk and headed towards her with the most important ones. "Good morning, Ms. Walker"
"Good morning, Eric" They exchanged small polite smiles and then Eric handed her some folders as they both entered her office. Renee got a bit concerned about her other assistant. "Is Dolores not feeling well?"
"She's okay, ma'am", he reassured her while Renee went behind her desk and put her briefcase over it. Then she gave him a questioning look and Eric gently reminded her, "You gave her permission to come in late today because she has a sonogram and a meeting at Lucia's school".
"Right" Renee suddenly recalled what Eric was saying. Then, she took off her dark gray overcoat and her assistant rushed to put it inside the office's little closet for her. She then glanced at a piece of paper with a few messages for her. Not surprisingly, Bertram Anselm, director of the RNC, had already called her. "What does Bert Anselm want?"
"He just needs ten minutes with you", Eric replied, while carefully hanging the pricey overcoat inside the closet.
Renee bit her lower lip, mentally reviewing her schedule. "I'll see him at 10.30"
"All right" Eric quickly wrote 'Anselm- 10.30' in a notepad he always carried. He was not at all surprised. Generally, Renee took a coffee-break at 10.30, but more often than not she turned it into a meeting. The assistant then took a quick look at the notepad to check his boss's other messages. "Also, Secretary Woods called to confirm your working-lunch". Renee nodded in confirmation of her meeting with Tim Woods and took her seat. Eric continued giving her the pertinent messages, "And Mr. Rennard will bring the poll results at eight"
"Good" Renee sighed with relief. Then, she suddenly remembering there was something she needed to ask the young man. "Oh, and, Eric, could you get me another ticket for the RNC dinner?"
Eric's chocolate eyes were full of confusion. "Another ticket, ma'am?"
"Yes. I'm going with, uh… my boyfriend", Renee wrinkled her nose slightly, still felling weird about using that word at her age. The term 'boyfriend', for some reason, reminded her of high school and making out with Elias Florrick at some movie theater during movies such as 'Sleepless in Seattle' or 'Groundhog Day'.
The young assistant was surprised to hear Renee had a boyfriend, considering neither him nor Dolores had ever noticed signs of one. Renee seemed rather lonely. Actually, rumor had it she had stopped dating after the death of her boss and lover, Larry Moss. But it seemed like now she was 'back on the saddle'. "Okay" Eric couldn't help but to smile and nod approvingly for a split second before going right back in assistant mode. "May I ask what's his name, ma'am? They'll need it to put it on the guest list"
That kind of caught her off guard, but it didn't show. "Right. Of course. Uh, it's Jack Bauer", after saying that, Renee stared down at the folders over her desk, trying to somewhat cover a girlish smile she couldn't hold back.
08.05 AM
The senior staff was already gathered around the coffee table in Renee's office. They were all sitting on a chair and the two salmon velvet couches that faced each other. At that moment, Caldwell Coleman, Communications Director and the oldest person in the room, was attempting to sell an idea to Renee. "A new media director would help us…" He then trailed off, trying to come up with a delicate way to express the idea of political spinning. "…polish events like the Henry Taylor scandal or what happened at the UN."
George Ace Sullivan quickly stepped in the conversation, pointing out reasons to bring in a new media director. "And Henry's tell-all book is coming out by the holidays… and who knows what will happen at The Hague?". There were collective 'don't remind me' looks. And George then finished making his case with a very resigned tone. "There'll be more to polish". But then he just said it like it was, "We need a spin-doctor"
All eyes turned on Renee, who silently pondered about the idea. It all made sense, except for one detail, "But, for what I understand, there's no money for a new media director". Or so Renee had been told. Had she been misinformed or had she misunderstood ? She gave the others a look that was clearly a request for a clarification.
"Actually, Mr. Kanin, and later Rob Weiss, decided it was an unnecessary expense… and it was… at that time. Now the circumstances are very different", Caldwell explained using that condescending tone he always used while clearing up something Renee didn't understand.
"All right, I'll talk about it with Bert today", Renee promised and purposely ignored Cal's attitude. Bringing in someone new seemed like a good idea. But she still had to talk about it with Bertram Anselm, since any media consultant would have to be paid by the RNC, not with public funds.
"Remind him that after the midterms we have got to get in reelection mode", George urged her, with a hint of desperation in his steel-blue eyes. A media director would be fundamental to get the President reelected, and he firmly believed they had to start getting serious about reelection soon. And the RNC would surely feel the same.
Given the current political mood, preparing in advance for reelection seemed paramount. They didn't want any republican to think, even for a second, that President Taylor was vulnerable enough to be challenged for the party's nomination in one year. But an internal quarrel would only help the democrats.
"The President doesn't want to hear about reelection yet", Renee shot her deputy a serious warning glare. She found herself strangely agreeing with him, though. But they obviously had to respect Allison's wishes. Then she turned to the others and went back to the topic of the media director, "Did you have someone in mind?"
The question was addressed to everyone present. It was Angela Nelson who quickly answered, enthusiastic about an idea. "We should consider the woman who is managing Chandler Lyons's campaign"
"I was thinking about her too", Lynnette Lockhart instantly squealed, happy with the coincidence. Without wasting a second, the Deputy Communications director turned to Renee to explain why their idea was so good, "A few months ago nobody really thought Lyons had a chance, but he's gonna win… thanks to her. A miracle worker"
"You think we can steal her from Lyons?" Renee wondered out loud, intrigued. She couldn't remember the name of the campaign manager in question. But given the big success Chandler Lyons's campaign was having, the woman responsible for it seemed somebody definitely worth considering.
"Steal her?" The older woman quickly huffed and waved a hand dismissively. Not stealing would actually be involved. "In two weeks, her job with him will be done. Believe me, Renee… she'd be happy to work here".
Angela instantly nodded, supporting what Lynnette had just said. Then Caldwell got suddenly alarmed when he noticed Renee was actually taking the other women's suggestion seriously. "Hold on!" he scolded his subordinate lifting a hand. Then, his startled grayish blue eyes then got fixated on his superior, to whom he managed to speak more calmly. "Renee, they're talking about a girl who's too young and too inexperienced"
"Her age and lack of experience didn't stop her from doing a fantastic job for Lyons", Angela argued with the same polite but firm tone of voice she used when reporters wouldn't reason. But her brown eyes involuntarily shot one 'shut up, you asshole' glare. Cal's way of saying 'girl' made her so angry. Why was he such a chauvinistic jerk?
But George was also against the idea of bringing in some 'inexperienced chick'. Besides, how could they know the girl was even good until they actually saw results? He widened his steel-blue eyes in disbelief. There was one obvious thing everybody seemed to be forgetting, but he exclaimed it loudly, "Lyons has won no senate seat yet".
"The polls say he'll win", Lynnette pointed that out with a somewhat cocky smile and lifting her eyebrows triumphantly, already savoring the victory she imagined for the president's valuable ally.
George huffed and raised her arms defensively, as if he were giving up. "Oh, well, let's spare the voters of that little annoyance of actually voting then"
Renee just sighed. Clearly, everybody was too edgy. She knew that was, in truth, because they feared the poll results, which should be arriving shortly. And if those results turned out to be bad, the mood in the room would get even worse. She was just about to tell everybody to calm down, but right then Eric timidly began to step into the office carrying in one tray the coffees and pastries everyone had requested. "Excuse me, Ms. Walker…?"
She eagerly welcomed the interruption. "Yes, please, came in"
Eric approached the group and carefully placed everything over the coffee table, receiving the normal chorus of 'thanks'. Then he had to make an announcement. "Mr. Rennard is here now".
That news was welcomed with predictable collective relief. "Good. Please, send him in", Renee prompted him.
The assistant nodded and headed back outside, where Blake Rennard was waiting, but not alone. Apparently, the political consultant in his early forties had gotten, in a matter of seconds, the attention of a young female assistant who was chit-chatting with him. Eric wasn't surprised at all. The older man was very good looking and had steel-gray eyes Dolores had once described as 'magnetic'.
Blake spotted the young black man coming from inside the office. After carelessly apologizing to the girl he was talking to, he rushed towards the younger man. "They are ready for me?"
Eric gave a polite smile and nod. "Yes, they are, Mr. Rennard. Now, let me know if you need anythi…"
Before the assistant could even finish talking, Blake had already decided what he needed. "A coffee would be just fantastic. With a little bit of cream. Thank you". Then, he gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and launched fast into the office of Renee Walker. "Good morning, everybody"
They all greeted him, and then Renee went straight to the point. "So, Blake… what have you got for us?"
"Anxious about your report card? Huh?" he mocked her lightheartedly and smirked. Renee looked at him as if saying 'gee, you think?'. He took a bunch of thin folders from his briefcase and began handing them to the other people. "First, let me say that the full polling book is still being put together and is 400 pages long. These are only the top sheet results". After everyone had a folder, he took a seat in one of the couches, next to Renee.
Cal took his eyes from the sheet of paper and practically nailed them on Blake searching for clarification, "And, as we discussed, the questions are almost identical to those we asked last April, right?"
"Yeah. Except for those regarding Mr. Kanin, of course". As he answered Cal, Blake's steel-gray eyes were actually focused on Renee's serious features while she read a sheet of paper. "The green numbers are from April, and the ones in red are the new ones. As you can see, unfortunately, it's bad news…"
"Job approval is 47%..." Renee read out loud as her scowl showed her distress. In April, that number had been 69%. They had lost over 20 points. Exactly like George had predicted. And she had told the President that the hit wouldn't be so bad. She felt like such an idiot. She turned to look at her deputy to make a somber admission, "You were right". George nodded actually looking as upset as Renee about that.
Lynnette shook her head in disbelief. She hadn't expected the numbers to be so discouraging. "Trustworthy, 52% down from 70? Strong leader is 40%, down from 65%?"
Caldwell examined thoughtfully the numbers while he compulsively finished eating a donna. He always ate when he felt upset, which explained how the short man had gained 30 pounds since the beginning of Taylor's administration. Then he sighed and looked at Blake just to confirm something. "So, if the elections were today…?"
"Only 25% of registered voters would vote for the President", Blake quickly confirmed what said in the sheets.
Renee shook her head in profound disbelieve. "This… this drop can't be because of Henry Taylor"
"It's not", Blake nearly automatically assured her, his facial expression adding 'unfortunately' to his words. If everything was just about Henry, it would be so simple to fix. "There are many factors involved. Henry is one. But only a small one. A huge one, though, seems to be the New York debacle. It was seen as a gross security and intelligence failure, on her watch. I hate to say this… but it made her look vulnerable and ineffective"
"Are you saying most people blame the President for what happened?"
"They don't blame her personally…" the political consultant clarified defensively, sensing he had stepped in dangerous territory. It wasn't really as simple as fingers being pointed at someone. "Look, I'm trying to say most Americans named global threats and national security as the topics they are most concerned about, and they seem to have lost confidence in this administration ability to address them"
Renee first felt like somebody was repeatedly hitting her really hard on the head with a baseball bat made of guilt. Visible upset, she closed the folder and put it over the coffee table. But in a split second her gloomy demenaur changed to 'resolved'. She straightened her back and lifted her chin slightly, getting ready to fix what was broken. "Okay. We took a punch. Now we better start working on how we are gonna get back up from the mud"
10.20 AM- White House's west wing- Oval office
Ethan Kanin, First Gentleman and Senior Advisor, had missed the meeting in Renee's office because he had gotten unavoidably caught up in a meeting with the white house social director and trip coordinator. But he naturally attended the subsequent senior staff meeting with Allison, where they talked about the approval poll. Once that was over and the advisors were in the outer Oval Office, he followed and called after his successor. "Ms. Walker". The young woman turned around to face him. George, Lynnette and Caldwell also stopped automatically to see what the First Gentleman wanted, disregarding the fact that their names were not 'Ms. Walker'. Ethan simply ignored them and addressed Renee. "Have you gotten new projections for the congressional races?"
"Yes, Sir. They sent me new numbers just an hour ago", Renee answered as Susan Newman, Allison's second assistant, gave her a sheet of paper with the newest changes in the presidential schedule. "Thanks, Susan"
"If I may, I'd like to see Senator Goddard's numbers", Ethan requested with his normal polite tone. Senator Mackenzie Brogan Goddard, from Florida, was a very good political ally for Allison.
"Of course, Mr. Kanin", Renee agreed readily and they both headed side by side to her office.
As they walked, Ethan gave the woman a quick concerned look. Allison didn't even feel surprised by the numbers. But her chief of staff had predicted better results and Ethan could see Renee was feeling upset, even though she masked it well. "I hope you're not too worried about our numbers"
"I'm not worried, sir", Renee assured him quickly, and showing more security than she felt. "They'll go back up"
"I'm sure of that", Ethan was truly confident the numbers would go up again, especially if republicans got back their majority in the senate back, making it easier for Allison to get important legislation passed.
They arrived to Renee's office and she asked her assistant Eric the material Ethan wanted to see and, naturally, coffee. Agent Arizona Roush was watching them, posted by the door to the office of the white house chief of staff, as usual. Then, talking into her cuff-mic, she announced that 'Ruby' and 'Lancelot' were there, and another secret service agent registered their positions on a computer.
Ethan took a quick look around his old office and couldn't help a small sigh. He missed being White House Chief of staff just as badly as he missed being Secretary of State. But being married to Allison was definitely worth the sacrifice. Renee sat behind her desk and Ethan sat across from her. A picture of Allison and Renee caught his eye. It had been taken during the press conference in which Renee's appointment was announced. At first, he couldn't help but to smile. But then he got somber as he stressed something he considered vital. "Renee, the President trusts you'll make sure that nobody loses perspective or gets too carried away trying to get those numbers back up". He looked into her eyes intensively, trying to read her, to see if she understood his message and if she was indeed worthy of Allison's trust. Ethan, for one, had always had a hard time trusting people, even before the horrible incidents with Libby Taylor and Rob Weiss. "Not that approval doesn't matter, but in this administration scoring political points is not more important than doing the right thing for the American people"
She would never think otherwise. And the President knew that. But Renee couldn't blame Ethan for needing to make that point very clear and check that she shared his view, which was also the President's. She never took her eyes away from his electric-blue ones, getting as serious as he was. "I know"
"Good", Ethan then relaxed and gave her a tiny smile. He actually had nothing against Renee, who seemed great at her job and a very loyal friend. And even though he remained slightly cautious, he figured giving the young woman a little encouragement couldn't hurt. He looked around thoughtfully and then nodded approvingly. "I like what you've been doing in this office, by the way". Then he gave her a grin and look of complicity, letting her know he was not talking only about the décor. Renee seemed to understand him perfectly and smiled looking very flattered.
11.47 AM
Jack reached the outer area of Renee's office. Eric was sitting behind a desk busily going through some memos and ordering by priority. In his normal fashion, Jack went rapidly to the point. "Hey… Is Renee there?"
"Yes, she is, Mr. Bauer. And she told me you could just walk in", Eric instantly gestured to the office, inviting Jack to do so. He observed that the older man always, no matter what, acted like something was on fire. Renee was a lot like that too. He wondered why, but then he shrugged and carried on with his job, since he was not there to judge.
After awkwardly acknowledging with a nod the female secret service agent standing by the door, Jack walked into the office and saw Renee sitting in one of the couches and reading material from a very tick folder. "Hey"
"Hey", Renee quickly left what she had been reading over the coffee table and stood up to greet Jack cupping his cheeks with her hands and placing a kiss on his lips. The kiss had to be very brief, but their hands remained intertwined. "Did you just get back from the pentagon?"
"It's been a long morning", Jack replied somewhat grumpily as confirmation. His meetings at the pentagon had been mostly about planning for situations that might happen eventually, but likely wouldn't happen in the near future. He knew that preparations for possible, although not likely, scenarios were extremely important, he just found doing that boring. He was used to deal with imminent, and so not hypothetical, threats. Besides, he didn't like working with the Secretary of defense, Dwayne Fenwick. He found the man unbearably arrogant.
"Yeah", Renee lifted her eyebrows as if saying 'you can say that again'.
They sat on the couch and Jack noticed she already looked weary. It seemed that the day had been more stressful than usual for her, and he suspected the reason why. "How was the approval poll?" With a very good poker face, Renee handed him a thin folder which contained the poll results. He took a quick look at them.
Renee could practically see the heavy anvil of guilt falling over Jack's head as he read the poll results. She still felt guilty too. But she thought of what Ethan's words and tried not to be overdramatic about the issue. "It's just a poll". She pointed out calmly while rubbed his knuckles with her thumb. She actually was attempting to reassure both of them at the same time. "And we are working to get those numbers back up".
"So, you are not worried about it?" Jack found it a little bit odd. Was Renee only pretending not to care?
"I was upset", She admitted seriously. "But I talked with Mr. Kanin, and now I feel better"
Jack then thought that made sense. Naturally, Renee had already discussed the issue with an expert, started working on fixing the problem and now felt reassured because of that. Probably the President wasn't too worried about it either. "What does the president think of this?"
"She thinks, like Mr. Kanin, that the numbers will go up and nobody should worry too much", Renee responded with a casual shrug. There was a reason why this was the first approval poll since April. Allison's priority was not to be popular, but to do what she considered was actually best for the American people. Yet, popularity was important to help them achieve good things. She doubtfully bit her lower lip and then let out a resigned sight. "But you know President Taylor… knowing for sure how she truly feels is tricky at best"
"Reminds me of somebody else I know", Jack stated smoothly with a mischievous grin and barely brushed Renee's cheek with his knuckles. And it was not the first time he had noticed how similar Allison and Renee were. But then he got as serious as only he could be, "So, how can I help?"
Before Renee could reply, Eric shyly stepped into the office to give her yet another cup of coffee, the fourth cup of the day. Jack didn't want anything to drink, so Eric simply left. Then Renee answered Jack's question from the bottom of her heart. "You already help by being so damn good at what you do. The President is lucky to have you"
He looked away and down for an instant, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He knew Renee believed what she had said. But, after the assassination of Omar Hassan, Jack found it extremely difficult to believe he was that good at what he did. He could only try to be. Still, he wouldn't engage in a talk about whether he was good or not. He swallowed his guilt, blinked nervously a couple of times and decided to quickly change the topic. "Oh, I almost forgot… Mrs. Carmichael told me you called to say you have the tickets. Did you mean….?".
"The tickets for the RNC dinner" Renee confirmed with a small smile. Then she drank casually some of her much-needed black coffee.
Jack shook his head, visibly upset. "Renee, I wanted to buy them myself, or at least my own"
"There's no need. I already bought both of them", she foolishly shrugged unconcerned, expecting that to be the end of the conversation.
Jack pressed his lips so tightly together that they looked like one line. But then he nodded and relaxed, realizing that there was a simple solution for this situation. "Fine. I can just give you the money when we get home"
"No. You don't have to do that", Renee objected almost automatically, and moved a little farther away from him.
"At least let me pay for my part", Jack insisted, being just as determined as she was. "It's only fair"
"But, Jack..." She trailed off and sighed. The topic of money was so awkward. And she knew that what she was about to say would be badly received, but was true and had to be said. "You can't afford to spend…"
"How do you know?" Jack protested loudly, without even letting her finish talking. It felt like his pride had just been shot down. He knew those tickets cost thirty thousand dollars per couple. And, indeed, he couldn't afford to spend that much on one fundraiser. But allowing Renee to pay for them was plainly unacceptable to him. "I can afford those tickets, okay? I don't need you to buy anything for me"
"What if I want to?" Renee insisted, knowing very well that Jack was protecting his own bruised ego.
But Jack wouldn't let her win this time. "I'm sorry. I just can't let you spend that much on something for me"
Renee couldn't believe him. She stared at him, perplexed. She needed his permission to spend money now? She stood up from the couch and walked towards her desk, trying to control her temper. "You can't let me spend…?"
Jack rushed to stand up and explain things in a better way. "Look, I didn't mean it like that. I meant… I don't like to feel like you're just handing everything to me. And this is way too much money. It makes me uncomfortable".
Renee instantly gave one cold response. "You shouldn't go then"
Her reaction puzzled him. "What?"
Instinctively, Renee went behind her desk, needing some space. Then she nailed her eyes on his, trying to make his point reasonably. "Tell me, would you go if you and I weren't together?"
"No…" Jack admitted the truth. But that wasn't the point. He wanted to be around her. He would have a good time just being around her. Besides, although he couldn't say it out loud, he didn't like the idea of her going to a dinner alone, like a single woman. More importantly, he just didn't want to spend a whole evening without her. But Renee didn't care whether he went or not. He stared at her in pained disbelief. "You don't want me there?"
"Of course I do, that's why I bought you a ticket" Renee exhaled with frustration. Then she explained herself more calmly, with a softer tone. "But you feel uncomfortable. And if you spend that money just to go where I want to go, I'm gonna feel really guilty. So, what can we do?"
She locked her eyes with his, truly asking him to come up with a solution that would please them both. Jack believed Renee had to just give in and forget the silly guilt thing. "You have no reason to feel guilty about anything, Renee". Now more than ever Jack had to buy the damn ticket. He would find a way to do it. He didn't want her to think he couldn't. "My financial situation is not ideal. But I can afford my ticket. And I want to buy it for myself".
She didn't have the chance to respond. The phone suddenly began ringing and Renee quickly took the call, which came from Eric's desk. "Yeah?" As she listened to her assistant, she nodded along, unsurprised, while opening a file with data she would need. "Okay". Then she disconnected the call and addressed Jack apologetically. "I'm sorry, Jack. We'll have to talk about this when I get home. I have a call with the Israeli Prime Minister in five minutes".
"Okay. And when will you get home?", Jack asked mildly annoying.
For the second time that day, Renee got hit by the realization that now she had to communicate and explain her plans. And even though she didn't like it, and she was mad at Jack right then, she still wanted to do her part and not screw things up. She replied Jack's question, but rather icily, "I'm not sure. After work I have to go buy something to wear for the dinner and the President's birthday". Jack shot her an exasperated ´Are you kidding me?' glare. He clearly thought her plans could change. Before he could even speak, she defended herself sharply. "It's important. When I go to a formal event with the President what I wear is not irrelevant".
"I know… I know that" Jack admitted with a grumpy resigned tone.
"Besides… Liz Stockard is coming to help me. I already made plans with her", she shrugged. Just then the phone rang again. She simply couldn't deal with her relationship issues at that moment. "Look, it'll take me like an hour at most and then I'll be home and we'll talk".
Jack simply muttered "yeah" under his breath and nodded before leaving the office.
5.30 PM- Shopping Mall at Georgetown Park
Renee emerged from the dressing room a bit shyly, wearing a rather flashy Vera Wang charcoal dress. It was sleeveless with multilayer flange placket and the skirt had French accordion pleats. It also came with a black wool jacket. Agent Elizabeth Stockard carefully looked at the other woman up and down. She thought Renee looked amazing, but just a bit somber in black. "It looks good… but why don't you try a more… vivid color?"
Renee stared at her reflection from different angles. She actually loved the dress. It wasn't ´vivid', but it made her look serious and elegant. "Actually, Liz, I need one that's not too bright for the cocktail at the Russian embassy"
"Right, the thing with Karkov is just a week away" Elizabeth considered that such an important event called for a serious and very classy dress, like the one Renee had chosen. Black was just not her favorite color, but she tried to say something nice about it anyway. "Well, black makes you look thin"
"It does, doesn't it?", Renee felt actually disappointed. She didn't want to look thin. Liz, trying to be helpful, handed her a different dress, an electric blue Donna Karan strapless dress. Renee felt like it was burning. But she managed to hand it back to the other woman calmly. "Thank you. But that's too…" Too provocative? Too sexy? Too similar to what she had worn the night Vladimir raped her? She couldn't say it, so she didn't say anything and simply decided to try on a different dress. "I think I'm going to try again that purple one. It might work for the president's birthday". It was one figure-flattering dark purple silk-blend Ralph Lauren dress, with fancy leather straps. It was elegant, yet simple. Not too seductive. Renee took it and reentered the dressing room.
Then Elizabeth headed to the main part of the store to search for another dress. She thought maybe she should buy a nice outfit too, something to wear on her birthday, which was on November 6th. But none of the dresses she saw seemed fitting for her. She had very large breasts, which sadly made it incredibly difficult for her to wear any sensual garment without looking like a cheap slut. She was about to give up. But, unexpectedly, she saw a Vera Wang navy-blue dress. It was a curve-contouring knee-length dress. It had a plunging back with crisscrossed silvery chains. A slim mesh chain fed through the high halter neckline, which would cover nicely Liz's prominent track. Her dark blue heavy-lidded eyes seemed to pop with excitement. But then she looked at the price on the tag and she nearly dropped it in shock. She would so have to forget about it. Renee could definitely afford it, but it was too large for the petite former agent. To help Renee, Liz searched for the same model in a smaller size, and found one in burgundy-red. She knew Renee detested the colors scarlet-red and crimson-red, but burgundy-red was a less bright and more distinguish shade of red. Before taking that to the dressing room area, she took a sad look at the other dress, the blue one, let out a sight as she ran one hand through her sort blonde curls.
Renee left the dressing room wearing the purple Ralph Lauren dress, hoping for Liz's opinion. But the FBI agent was not around. Instead, she saw a short woman in her early forties, with wavy black hair, huge breasts and steel-gray eyes. The stranger seemed to be waiting for Renee and got exited to see her emerge from the dressing room.
The woman didn't even wait for Renee to step out of the dressing room to approach her like a lion who had spotted his prey. "Ms. Walker! Ain't this my lucky day?"
"I'm sorry?", Renee backed away instinctively. Who the hell was that woman?
The woman then realized Renee didn't recognize her. "Oh, right, we were never properly introduced". She offered a hand as she introduced herself. "I'm Valery Layton, I work for Human Events´"
Renee reluctantly shook her hand with a frown. 'Human Events' was a weakly ultra conservative magazine. And Angie had told her Layton was the most ruthless of the White House press corps. Renee tried to brush the woman without being too rude. "Nice meeting you, Ms Layton. But I don't speak to the press"
"You spoke to Sean and Ted quite eloquently", Valery pointed out without backing out an inch.
Renee was getting nervous since the other woman was physically blocking her way out of the dressing room. "You are not Sean and Ted" Renee gave a depreciative look, knowing her comment would bruise Valery's ego. She slightly pushed the woman from the shoulder to make her move. She stepped out of the dressing room to confront the woman without being cornered. "You left dozens of messages with Angie and with my assistant, my answer to each of them was no… You thought stalking me would make me want to talk to you?"
"I'm not stalking. I happen to need a new outfit too", Valery showed a dress she was holding as evidence of her claim, which was partly true. "I just wanted to ask you in person if you could, please, grant me fifteen minutes for an interview. You have so much influence on the President… the people deserve to get to know you…"
"You're right, Valery" Renee pretended to give up. She noticed Liz now approaching them hastily with a hand ready to draw her weapon if necessary. Renee sighed and made her point to the reporter. "You're right. People should get to know me. If nothing else, so they know that ambushing me in a dressing room gets people nowhere but on my black list". The reporter was about to protest, but Renee carried on not letting her talk. "By the way, I know you used to work for ´Politico´ but were fired because you tried to sabotage Connie Fairbanks and they had it with you competing obsessively and in a dirty way. So you'd be the last reporter I'd talk to anyway"
Valery frowned taking offense. "The men in Portico preferred Connie because she's a weak little girl they can easily dominate. But I admit I'm very ambitious" Then she changed her frown for an expression of complete innocence. "You can't blame me for doing whatever it takes to succeed".
Renee wouldn't take any more of the reporter's insistence. "Please, get out…" Seeing the brunette still wouldn't move, Renee approached the shorter woman looking intimidating and deadly serious, "If you don't leave right now, you'll lose your press credentials and Ms. Fairbanks gets to spend a whole day following me around".
Valery immediately turned around and walked away from the store, full of anger and defeat. Liz watched the brunette's retreat with a satisfied smile. Renee, like nothing happened, simply took the burgundy Vera Wang dress Liz was holding and headed straight back into the dressing room.
05.50 PM
Renee rather quickly purchased the outfits she needed for the important events she had to attend to. Liz was impressed; she had never seen a woman buying three expensive gowns in less than an hour before. They sat at a café and made their orders. Once the waiter left, Renee had to call Angela Nelson. But the press secretary was not available so she left a message on the voice mail. "Angie, this is Renee. I just wanted you to, please, tell Connie Fairbanks she'll get the thirty minutes with me she requested. Thank you. And I'll see you tomorrow".
Elizabeth nodded feeling more impressed. "I see you'll punish Ms. Layton after all"
"Punishing her it's just one of the perks. But that's not why I decided to do it" Renee wasn't being just vindictive. The reporter's word made her think about how she could help improve the image of the administration in a legitimate manner. "You know? The poll revealed that 40% of registered voters think the President is ineffective because of her staff. I can't blame them, since three months after the inauguration half her staff was arrested for treason, including her daughter. So, I think people getting to know me is a good idea"
Liz lifted her hands slightly, conceding Renee's point. She wasn't a politician. "I don't know about these things"
"Our communication experts have been begging me to do this since I started" Renee clearly wasn't thrilled with the idea. But she decided to go with the idea of those who understood more about those matters.
"They are probably right", Liz shrugged. Then she noticed a couple of college girls in a nearby table. They were staring back and forth between Renee and the screen on a laptop. They seemed impressed and were muttering things like ´yes, it's her. I told you´. A bit concerned, she stood up with the excuse of needing to use the bathroom, to Renee's suspicions. She walked to the bathroom looking innocent and took a quick peek at the girl's computer screen on her way. They were just looking at the White House official website to check that Renee was truly Taylor's chief of staff. She went back to the table, still slightly preoccupied. "So, does this happen to you often? I mean, people just recognizing you, even demanding to talk to you on a public place?"
Renee had noticed the girls as well and wasn't bothered by it. But obviously Elizabeth was more worried about Layton. She tried not to be over dramatic. "Sometimes… college students recognize me… but mostly politicians or reporters who didn't get my attention by phone. But they're harmless. I don't go out so often anymore anyway"
"You should be more careful when you're out" Liz frowned getting deadly serious. For somebody normally paranoid, the woman had taken the incident with the reporter too lightly. "Layton got to corner you in that dressing you. It could have been a Russian with a gun"
"You don't need to remind me of that", Renee instantly responded with a categorical sharp tone "I'm careful enough, Elizabeth. If it had been a real threat I would have known what to do. I was trained to recognize…" She stopped speaking abruptly. She was going to say she had been trained to recognize a danger in disguise. But then Pavel Tokarev´s dammed arctic-blue eyes flashed in her mind, startling her. She could hardly remember a time when she could look at that very particular shade of blue formed by the ocean reflecting on a glacier without feeling the now-too-familiar sharp pain in her chest. She took one deep breath trying to get rid of the mental image. Luckily, the waitress showed up with their orders, providing a distraction. Renee welcomed the icy coke and drank slowly some of it, letting the too-sweet taste of coca cola bring different sensation in her mind. Then she focused back on the other woman. "But let's not talk about threats. We are not working right now"
"Okay" Liz was all for a more cheerful topic. "So, I, for one, I'm glad I can finally get to know you better". She lifted her glass of diet coke. "Here's to that"
Renee lifted her own glass in return. "I'm glad you came to help me. I needed it". She needed it more than Liz would ever know. The memories of her buying the dresses that had gotten her raped were, unfortunately, still in her mind. The idea of looking feminine and attractive in public still made her uncomfortable.
"I don't agree with that" Liz complimented with sincerity, "You have great taste. That dress you wore for the president's wedding was lovely"
"Oh… my assistant Dolores advised me to buy. She normally prints pictures of dresses she sees on internet and I decide what to order with her help" She explained with mild embarrassment. "But now I felt like coming here"
"Good. And thank you for bringing me along…" she gave her a smile of appreciation. Then she drank some of her diet coke and looked down a bit awkwardly. "I know you did it because Leo asked you to".
"Leo? Why do you think he…?" Renee automatically began playing dumb, to make Liz feel better. The blonde woman's expression told her to drop the act. "Fine. He told me he's worried about you and that you don't really like living here. He thinks it's because you haven't made any new friend here, and I could make you feel better"
"I could kill him sometimes", Liz muttered under her breath, once her suspicions were confirmed. She knew her boyfriend meant well. But he made her look like a loser who couldn't make new friends on her own. "I can't believe he made you hang out with me out of pity. What did he tell you?" Never stopping to wait for the real answer, she sarcastically speculated on Leo's words, "Please, play with my Lizzy. The other kids are mean to her"
"Liz, I'm not here to do Leo a favor… and I don't pity you. I'm here because if you are having a hard time, I want to help you and be a friend", Renee was really surprising herself. Until then, Elizabeth was Leo's girlfriend, a brave woman who saved her life, a nice person to hang out with. But there was a distance between them. Now the gap was closing a little and she was starting to think of the other woman as a personal friend.
"You've been a friend", Liz tried to reassure her rather weakly.
"No, not really" Renee was now a bit embarrassed by it and felt guilty. She had kept her distance without a valid reason. "This is the first time you and I truly talk without Leo present. I don't want you to think that's because I don't like you. I just… it's difficult for me letting new people get close"
"I understand" she smiled truly sympathetically before making a confession of her own. "And, hey, I'm not blameless… I felt intimidated by you". Renee then stared back as her as if Liz was saying crazy stuff. The blond woman felt now so silly for not being confident enough around Renee before. But she simply drank more of her diet coke and then tried to act cool. "But, hey… who gives a damn about the past? We are where we are"
"Here's to that" Renee lifted her glass with a clear ´amen-sister expression. ´Then she drank more coke and went back to the important matter. "So, are you really having a hard time?"
"I just miss Chicago. I miss my friends. Everyone in this office seems to dislike me". Liz looked down embarrassed. She hated to whine. But she was feeling a bit down. She had left everything to start a new life in Washington DC. And Leo was definitely worth it. But turning your life around was extremely hard.
Renee understood her completely and felt bad for her. "I'm sure not everyone…"
"Yeah, pretty much" Liz was not one to be overdramatic. The other agents truly made her feel so bad about herself. "I mean, they are all respectful when I'm around… but the things they say behind my back"
"What do they say?", Renee could easily guess the answer though. She had been in the same situation.
"That I only got this job because Leo wants to sleep with me. They call me Leo's girl, Blondie Lap Dog, or Leo's Barbie doll", Liz knew she sort of brought that on herself. She should have searched for another job and avoid working for her boyfriend. She was the woman sleeping with the boss and they all resented her for it.
Renee frowned, appalled on Liz's behave and no stranger to insults of that kind. "Who?",
"Greg and Pete" Liz sighed sadly. Then she got truly alarmed. "But I don't want Leo to know"
Renee knew Leo too well to believe he was oblivious to the problem. In fact, now Renee understood why he had wisely turned to her. She had been the woman sleeping with the director herself and could understand Elizabeth's situation perfectly. She gave her a sad ´that ship has sailed´ look. "He knows already"
"I don't think so" But immediately after saying that, Liz remembered something that indeed proved Renee was totally right. "Although… that would explain why they get the most boring assignments and the crappiest shifts"
"He knows already", Renee chuckled now more convinced of that. "And he knows I've been in a similar dilemma"
"So, what do I do?" Liz stared into Renee's pale blue eyes, feeling now a bit hopeful.
Rather humidly, Renee attempted to give the best advice she could think of. "You ignore whoever is worthless and find the few who can be your allies. I'm sure there are others in the office who can become good friends of yours"
"That's what you did", Elizabeth knew as much as a fact.
"Yeah" Renee confirmed, and looked down very sadly as she thought about Larry and Janis.
Liz knew enough about Renee's history to guess what person was in Renee's mind. "You know… she still asks about you and the other day I caught her reading an article from "
Renee straightened her back. Her face and voice turned stony. "Am I supposed to feel moved?"
The FBI agent was thrown aback by that question and by the way Renee had suddenly turned into iron. She shyly tried to be conciliatory. "She's as hurt about what happened as you are"
Renee still wasn't moved. She kept that icy demeanor that had once made people call her Agent iceberg. "I just don't care. What I did was horrible. I know. But I truly desperately needed her forgiveness and she couldn't even look at me. Now I don't care anymore"
"I understand…" Liz was starting to see Renee's point. "I guess that's the ironic thing about darkness. It shows you who your real friends are"
Renee lifted her glass of coca-cola again. "Damn right"
Suddenly, Renee spotted a creepy man sitting in a table by the door, staring at them. He was creepy because resembled Vladimir in a way that made Renee chill to the core. The stranger was obviously Russian, had medium brown hair, Vladimir's natural color, and slate gray eyes exactly like Vladimir's. He also had a face like Vladimir's before the surgery in Caracas and wore similar clothes. The only difference was that this man weighed at least forty pounds more than Vladimir.
Liz noted the normally pale woman had suddenly turned even paler. "Renee, are you okay?"
Renee heard her friend and turned to look at her. She leaned towards her and whispered softly, not looking directly at the man, to act cool. "At your six, there's a creepy Russian man"
Liz worriedly turned to look. But there was only an empty table at her six o'clock. On another table, there was a Korean-looking woman with a baby. On another table, there were the same college girls who had recognized Renee before, now busily flirting with two young boys. On other tables she spotted two white kids with a white woman, a Latina-looking family and two black senior citizens. Nobody even similar to a creepy Russian man. She looked at Renee again with big concern. "Renee… What man?"
Renee then looked again and this time saw no danger. She realized she had imagined it, probably because of her paranoia. Or maybe it was an innocent man who happened to look slightly like Vladimir and now left. Either way, she was so embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I guess the incident with Ms. Layton affected me more than I thought"
Elizabeth couldn't help but to feel partly responsible for that. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you she could have been a Russian. I made you paranoid"
"I've been paranoid since long before that. It's not your fault. What happened in New York… changed me", that was all Renee would explain about it. And she was quick to add the positive part, "I'm getting better though. You know? Four months ago, I would have reacted so much worse… and I would have slapped someone like Ms, Layton for startling me and cornering me in a dressing room"
"You seemed pretty cool and rational to me. Your therapy must be working" Liz had to admit that Renee seemed to be doing fine. She then confessed something to her, "You know? I started therapy myself"
"That's good" Renee felt glad Liz was getting help. "It should be a requisite to live with Leo"
They both chuckled at the joke. "I hope he agrees to go too someday", Liz added seriously, but knowing she was asking the impossible.
"Now, there's a delusion", Renee half-joked in a lighthearted way, and she and Liz chucked softly again.
07.15 PM- Bethesda, Maryland – Walker House
Once he arrived to Renee's house (he didn't think of it as 'home', yet), Jack walked into the living room carrying two big suitcases stuffed with winter clothes, a couple of books, some pictures and toiletries. The rest of his things, mostly books, summer clothes and few furniture, were still at storage in L.A. He left the suitcases on the floor, next to the fireplace, feeling a bit tired. Then he turned the TV on and sat to watch the news while he waited for Renee.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed. He nervously stated at the door leading to the garage a couple of times, hoping Renee would show up soon. They hadn't gotten the chance to talk again since their argument about the tickets.
The next few minutes passed slowly as he watched CNN, only to see more information about topics he was already familiar with. Finally, he heard the sound of her car being parked. Once again, he turned his head to look at the door connecting the living room and the garage. This time, the door got opened. Despite feeling a bit awkward, he couldn't help a small smile when she appeared in the living room. "Hey"
"Hey", Renee sighed, feeling very relieved to come home after a long day and find him there. She was also nervous. She wanted so badly to work things out. But she didn't know where he stood. She left her overcoat, her shopping bags and her briefcase on a chair and wearily took a seat next to him on the couch. She rested her head and back against the couch and turned her head slightly to a side to look at him. "Jack, I don't want us to fight"
"I don't want us to fight either", he tentatively put his left hand on top of her right one.
Renee then intertwined her fingers with his. As her gaze fixated on her hand and his linked together, her resolution only grew stronger. "Look, I've been thinking a lot about priorities… about dangers and how there are so few people that I know have my back" Renee then rushed to press her lips against his for the first time in twelve hours. She was showing what she had meant. She then told him in one whisper what she had decided. "I don't want to go to that dinner without you. I want you to be there with me".
"I really have to pay for it", Jack admitted softly, his aquamarine eyes still begging for some understanding.
"I know" Renee reassured him squeezing her hand slightly. "You don't want things just handed to you. And this was a bit over the top. I get it". She saw the immense relief in Jack features and it made her feel good. Compromising a little was definitely worth it. "Everything is already paid for. But, if it really means that much to you, just give me the money for your part only . Whenever you can, if you can". Jack nodded in agreement. Then her eyes were practically begging him to agree with her next point, the most important one. "This relationship will only work if we both are equal partners. So we are both comfortable… "
Jack then felt the strong urge of pulling her closer to him and kiss her. He didn't try to resist the impulse. They melted in a kiss. But then, instead of going further, they cuddled very tightly together on the pine velvet couch. Renee was resting her head on his chest and he had his lips against her head. "So, I'm very comfortable right now. Are you?"
An involuntary smile appeared on her face. "Incredibly comfortable"
To be continued…
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