Arlington

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Camp David, the day after the signature

A smile on her face, Audrey stepped back into the sleeping room, closing the bathroom door silently behind her, not to make any noise to wake Jack up.

He lay alone in bed, an arm still outstretched towards the place where she had laid before.

Cautiously she got back on the bed- but he opened his eyes as the mattress moved, murmuring a sleepy good morning.

Hey, she silently murmured back and leant over, to kiss him. „How are you feelin?", slightly referring to the evening before when she hadn't got around noticing that some withdrawal symptoms had haunted him.

„I'm okay…", he tiredly answered, wishing she wouldn't have asked him and wouldn't have reminded him. Now that they were back in his mind, the withdrawal symptoms came back at once. „How long did I sleep?"

„It's eleven", she smiled as she saw how shocked he was upon hearing this, „I turned off the alarm… I was told there's nothing on your schedule for today."

He smiled back and slung his arms around her, tearing her down to him for a long kiss.

The day before had felt like a roller coaster ride between good and bad, success and worst defeat, the signature of the treaty and being teared apart in the media for it.
He had met her, briefly, right before the signature ceremony. As he had come into his quarters, only to take a quick shower and change his clothes, she had been waiting for him already, right here.

Audrey squeaked as he grabbed her by her waist and rolled their bodies to the edge of the bed, to stand up.

„What… are you… doing?", she asked him, in between kisses.

„You'll see", he just answered and carried her with him, just like yesterday, into the shower.
Though they had only had a few minutes of time, they had spent every second that they'd had, savoring each other's body. He had almost been late for the ceremony with the Chinese officials. Parker, his Secretary of State, had been there, too, not even greeting him at all. He had soon found out that the relationship with almost all of the members of the cabinet was frostier than with the Chinese officials.

The press had besieged him and Audrey in the time after the ceremony, but for now they had pretty much kept back from asking the worst questions. That was sure to come.

Closing dinner in the evening. Although he would have wanted to attend it with her, they had both agreed that it would be best to go there separately.
He had seen the relief in Heller's eyes, when she had entered the room alone, always keeping a fair distance between them, even though she was almost as besieged by the press as the President himself.

Secretly, he had watched her. Had watched her during the official dinner, and after it, as she had been dancing with some of the other delegations' members.
He had been watching from far, mostly standing by the bar, sipping at a glass of Whiskey that fortunately kept the withdrawal symptoms a little bit at bay. She was classy. She wore an elegant dress. Handled every one of these politicians politely and with respect. Never got too close to anyone. Chose the ones with whom she was speaking carefully.

Watching her, he didn't even realize that it suddenly was James Heller who stood next to him, by the bar, watching her, too.

He jerked as he turned around just to put down his glass and suddenly found the old man next to him.

For a moment they said nothing - they hadn't spoken to each other ever since this morning, when Heller and Harry had showed him the video.
Jack somehow still wondered why the old man had been so calm at showing him this. He would have expected him to carry a gun and shoot him into the face, after he had seen what had happened to his only daughter.

„What do you plan, Jack?", he asked, silently enough to let nobody else listen to their conversation.

„Nothing. We haven't planned anything yet.", Jack answered, adding, „We didn't even talk about anything yet."

„I see.", James Heller answered, but didn't believe him. He believed Jack wouldn't tell him about their plans, anyway.

While they both watched Audrey dance with someone, Jack couldn't hold it back- „why didn't you just shoot me today morning?", he asked, „I expected you to stand up any other second and do it."

Heller sneered. „It wouldn't have changed anything, Jack.", he answered, ordering a Whiskey for himself, too, „but some moments, I thought about it."

Jack sadly smiled, too. „It would have changed things.", he said, not adding it would have been best.
„She wouldn't be besieged by the press right now… showing the world what she'd had to go through."

„Right.", Heller grunted. He got his Whiskey and took a sip without clinking glasses with Jack. „And that's exactly why I don't want you to be around her. You never made her life better, Jack, always worse. You endanger her every other second you're around her." He waited until Jack would turn over and look into his eyes before he continued, „We both know that you will be back in front of the supreme court, defending yourself, when they'll dig out your CIA past and when somebody comes along one day whose son or father you have murdered…"

He said nothing because he knew that James Heller's look into the future was a very possible one.

„Do you remember the year 1998, Jack? As Hillary Clinton publicly defended her husband and later everybody laughed at her because her defense had been so ridiculous and all the others had been so right?"

Heller seemed to wait for a yes, but he didn't get one.
Of course Jack remembered that story, when the whole world had made fun of the first lady who had tried to clear her husband's name by denying what he had done - making a fool out of herself because she had probably known the truth already.

„I see her standing out there, taking up the cudgels for you, probably saying that you haven't tortured anyone, ever, in your life, or haven't ever killed anyone except for war and self-defense…", Heller carried on, „and she'll make a fool out of herself only because she loves you."

Heller knew he was right. He saw Jack's features tremble. The President looked away for a moment because he could neither stand Heller's eyes or the sight of Audrey, happily dancing over there.

As he dared to turn back, Heller finished his glass, put it on the bar and left, wordlessly.

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Silently Jack watched Audrey sit at the table across him, having breakfast together. They hadn't yet spoken about the future, somehow he was afraid to do so- because once more, Heller was right with every word that he'd said.

She had left the party after the dinner around 11, and he had followed as soon as he'd found out that she was gone… that time she had been waiting for him already here… but they hadn't talked that much.

„What's on your mind?", Audrey asked him, seeing how thoughtful he was.

„Nothing", he tried to soothe her, putting on a smile instead and reaching out for her hand.

She looked so great.. her smile that could melt away every one of his bad thoughts at once. But eventually they would have to talk about the future. He decided with something easy. „What are you gonna do today evening?", meaning where she would sleep tonight.

She shrugged. „At home…", she began, „… where else?"

Part of him was relieved that the decision was thus postponed, part was sad that her answer had come so prompt.

„Everything okay?", she asked, affected by his sudden silence.

„Sure.", he quickly answered, putting on a smile. „How do you go back to DC?"

„I already booked a flight, leaving 9 p.m."

He nodded, refraining from saying you could have joined me. She knew it better. In public, she'd keep her distance, meaning that she wouldn't fly with him in the Air Force One.

She stood up and came over to him, sitting down on the free chair next to him so the table wouldn't part them. „I know why you ask.", she remarked and softly placed an arm round his neck, leaning against his body. „We should talk about what we're gonna do."

Yes, we should, he silently murmured as an answer and put his arm around her, too, placing a soft kiss on her head. „What about the day after tomorrow?"

This time she only smiled for an answer. „We'll find a way, Jack… When do you move to the White House?"

„Secret Service wants me to be there by no later than a month's time."

„Okay." She grabbed his coffee and sipped at it. Amusingly, they both liked their coffee the same way. „Harry said he'd get the few things he had at my place today."
She sighed and looked up to him. „But you shouldn't really come to my place…"

„Secret Service would freak out if I stayed the night.", he smiled back at her and bent down to give her a kiss.
And James Heller would freak out, too. Audrey's flat was right upstairs from where he lived.

„We'll find a solution", she told him, made him bend down and kiss her. „Trust me. I'll come to your place tomorrow." She gave him another, long kiss, „and I'll stay the night."

Part of him was glad that she would be coming to him.
But what Heller had said was also true.

Arlington Cemetery, three days later

Compared to the easy atmosphere in Camp David, being back in Washington DC was a frosty change. Constantly watched by the press and the public, constantly besieged by politicians and other lickspittles. And worst of all: under the constant watch of James Heller.

Jack was very aware of what he was doing with every step he made out in public.

Being here at Allyson Taylor's funeral accompanied by Audrey got even more attention than the real event. And the old man raged about it.

She had left no discussion about it.

Two days ago, she had come to him in the evening, as promised, having been picked up by the secret service with a dark limo. The grounds of the Vice President residence were so wide that they didn't need to be afraid of anyone watching.
She had stayed the night, seeing that he was still fighting some withdrawal symptoms… well, more giving in to them as fighting them. She had stayed with him ever since, helping him to get through this.

There was not much that she could do. Every other thing, like trying to talk about it, would only remind him once more of his need to shoot up or take some pills that made the symptoms better.

Standing here, at the Arlington cemetery, she unobtrusively glanced at him. He was calm right now, looking collected and elegant. But she knew that he had it under control only so far. There would be good days and there would be bad days to come. Up to now, there were more bad than good days. He had been besieged by the press and the congress members who liked to tear him and this treaty into pieces.

The funeral was over as quickly as it had began. Drowned in the own thoughts, everyone had stood here for the past hour, listening to the speeches and the ceremonious music.
They had been the first to come here and were the last ones to leave in that long row of people who now walked down the hill.

Chloe O'Brian had come here, too, walking with them and James Heller.

In a moment where it would go unnoticed, she closed in on Audrey, giving her a sheet of paper with her phone number on it, reading call me.

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