"What do you mean I'm back on the Washington beat?" Sara demanded as she stood in front of her boss's desk.
"You're back on the Washington beat," Danny told her again.
"I'm a foreign correspondent now. I transferred out of the Washington bureau."
"You've been transferred back in. With Matt out on paternity leave, I need you here," Danny told her.
"For how long?" Sara asked with more than a little suspicion in her voice.
Danny Concannon, editor of the Washington Post, grimaced. "I'm sorry, kiddo, but you're not going to be doing overseas work for a while."
"He got to you!"
"No, he didn't get to me," Danny denied. "I fought for you, Sara. I really did."
"Then why am I being kept off overseas assignments?"
"He got to the lawyers. Who went to Grevey," Danny explained.
"I'm going to kill him," Sara vowed.
"You're not going to kill your own father. He was just trying to protect you."
"What did he do? How did he get me pulled back to DC?"
Danny explained the visit from the State department that the Washington Post's lawyers had received. "Sara, the Post can't afford to piss off the Secretary of State," Danny defended his bosses decision. "Besides, after what your dad told me, it's probably for the best."
"What?!"
"Close the door, Sara" he commanded her. After Sara closed the door, she dropped bonelessly into the chair opposite Danny. "Sara, if your mom wins, the Secret Service would have kittens about you working as a foreign correspondent."
"I won't be able to work the Washington beat either," Sara argued.
"I know," Danny admitted.
"I'm going to lose my job if she wins," Sara murmured.
"No!" Danny denied. "Here's what I think. For now, fill in for Matt 'cause I really am shorthanded here. You're good, Sara. Really good. The Post doesn't want to lose you. I think you'd be good at investigative features. Scams, murders, corruption. Its going to be better for you if you've already established yourself as a feature writer rather than be pulled back to DC because the Secret Service can't protect you in a war zone."
"Okay" Sara agreed though she sounded dubious even to herself.
"Think about it at least. This afternoon I need you to go out Rosslyn for this press conference Charlie is holding."
"I think you should send someone else Danny. It would be a conflict of interest for me to report on it."
"Oh?" asked Danny. "You know something?"
Sara nodded.
"On or off the record."
"It can be on the record. Charlie with the help of the SPLC is bringing a wrongful death suit against the West Virginia White Pride on behalf of the Genaro children."
"Sweet! I can see that you'd have pretty strong feelings about the case...." Danny began to argue only to be interrupted by Sara.
"Noah's one of the attorney's of record on the suit."
"O...kay," Danny conceded the wheels obviously turning. "Noah? How'd Noah become part of this?"
"Noah took a job at the SPLC," Sara informed him. "He started yesterday."
"Noah's working for Toby?" Danny smirked. "That's going to be interesting."
"Oh you don't know the half of it," Sara chortled. "Noah's realized he's in love with Kate. He's talked her into letting him crash at her place."
"Oh that's a disaster looking for a place to happen," Danny agreed. He and Sara laughed themselves silly thinking of what kind of trouble Noah was going to cause for himself.
Finally sobering Danny asked, "If I send Jake, will you go along to babysit? Make sure he asks the right questions? Co-author the piece if you have to and we'll put a disclaimer about your relationship to those involved at the bottom." Jake Carruthers was one of the youngest and newest reporters covering the DC area for the Post. Like Matt, he was another of Danny's protégés. Fresh out of college, he was another of the dying breed that still believed there could be honor in journalism. Danny and Sara both had experience with this particular story from well before she was born though, and Danny knew that gave the Post an edge. She was sure Danny would pull rank and write an editorial of his own about the lawsuit once she and Jake has returned from the press conference.
"Sure, Danny" she agreed and waved as she left his office. "Jake!" Sara yelled spotting the younger man walking away from her.
"When did you get back, Sara?" he asked as he swept her into his arms for a hug.
"Broken ribs, Jake.....broken ribs," Sara gasped in pain causing Jake to slacken his grip immediately.
"What happened?" Jake asked.
"I was in China."
"Mmm....exciting stuff," he said. "Why are you here then?"
"I came back for a few days because Matt and Jodi just had their baby, and I wanted to meet my nephew. Unfortunately Dad has managed to get me grounded from overseas assignments. The suits are too afraid to piss him off."
"Sorry," Jake commiserated. "Whatcha need, hot stuff?"
"We're heading to Rosslyn to cover a press conference."
"Two of us?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, I'm a little too close to the story so I'm going to fill you in on the background, but you're going to be covering it."
"You're my babysitter," Jake translated as he followed her down to the parking garage.
"Yeah," Sara admitted. "As far as I'm concerned though, I'm just a spectator."
"Where in Rosslyn are we going?" he asked as he started the car.
"The Newseum," Sara told him.
"Isn't that..."
"Where the Genaro's were dumped...yeah."
"I was going to say...isn't that where your dad was shot?"
"That too," Sara admitted. "Drive."
