If you're reading this ending, you need to pretend the last part (Not Quite the End - Chapter 11) doesn't exist. Some people got confused on this point when I posted to LJ. This isn't a continuation of the fic, but an alternate ending. So, you would read from Body of Evidence, part 10 to this one.

"How are you settling in, Mr Keikeya?" Laura asked when her new aide brought a bunch of flowers and a parcel into her office.

She took the bunch of white Leonis lilies from the young man and carefully arranged them in the vase which sat on her desk. A new bunch was delivered every Monday. The flowers were never relegated to the trash, but she did toss the attached cards into the top drawer of her desk unopened.

"Mr Keikeya sounds a bit formal," she said, pulling at the tape on the mysterious package. "Would you prefer me to call you William? Or is it Bill?" she asked, breathless at that name on her lips once more.

"Billy. My family and friends call me Billy."

The telephone buzzing saved her sigh of relief from being audible.

"It's the President, ma'am," Billy announced.

She nodded her thanks, settling back into her chair and waiting for Billy to leave before greeting Richard.

"Thursday, 3 pm," he said without any preamble.

"Excuse me?"

"We haven't been together since you returned from your vacation."

She'd feigned jetlag the night she'd returned for the Cabinet meeting. Ever since, she'd been deftly avoiding him.

She opened her diary to Thursday. At three o'clock she was scheduled to have a mammogram.

"I already have an appointment."

"Cancel."

"What?"

"Darling, you're only the Secretary of Education. I'm the President. It's more difficult for me to find time for us."

She pulled back the paper from the parcel and saw it was a book. 'Turn to page 61' commanded the yellow sticky note on the cover.

Curious, she obeyed.

She read the highlighted text.

"Laura? Laura, are you there?" Richard asked urgently when she remained mute.

Finally she spoke: "I'm cancelling. Not the appointment. Us."

Then, she hung up.

The End! Again! Thanks for all the reviews. Will need to go through my docs and work out what to post tomorrow! LOL