Title: For Love or Country
For summary and/or disclaimer, see first chapter
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
A guy came up from behind me and put a
knife to my throat. The bodyguards didn't want to shoot him in fear that he might slice my neck.
I was struggling, trying to get free.This had happened a few years ago when I was raped.
"Quite the little fighter I see."
"Let go of me!!"
He sliced me above my breasts but below my neck. I was now having so many tears go down my face.
"Let go. Please. I can give you anything you want."
"Really?"
"Anything."
"I want you."
He pulled a shot filled with sedatives out of his pocket. I started struggeling harder than ever.
"LET GO OF ME!!"
"no."
He jabbed the needle in my arm. I struggled for a little longer then I was under. I mean I was
awake enough to know what was going on but not enough to stop it. My muscles were paralized from
the medicine.
"plee le go."
"I can't hunny."
he started dragging me out of the building. He took me out to the car and then drove me over to his
apartment where he proceded to beat me up and rape me many, many times.
He drove me back to the white house and dropped me off at the West wing part. I walked in.
CJ, Donna, Josh, and Leo walked up to me.
"Oh my god, sweetie. are you okay?"
"No but was I ever?"
That evoked a little laugh.
"Did he.. ya know?"
"Yeah."
Leo said
"I'm going to kill him."
Leo is like another father to me. Donna went to get my mom and dad. Mom took me into her embrace
so gently as if she thought I would break.
"I'm sorry we let that happen."
"What do you want us to do about the press? They're going crazy."
"Sweetie, do ya think you can talk about it?"
"Yes. I want everyone to know that creeps are everywhere."
Mom, Dad, CJ, Leo, Josh, Donna, Sam, and I all went in the press room. Mom, Dad, CJ, and I all
went up on the little podium thing.
"Stephanie will now be answering questions."
They all started yelling out 'pick me.' so I pointed at one.
"Ms. Robertson, why didn't you fight back after he had sliced your skin with the knife?"
"For fear basicly. I think he cut me first to prove that he would do it. I was frozen with fear."
I pointed at another person.
"Ms.Robertson, can you tell us if it is true that he raped you?"
I was a little taken back at how straight foward the questions were. Dad put a reassuring hand
next to my side. I laced my fingers through his like I would do when I was younger.
"I prefer not to tell you."
"Why? Is it true or isn't it?"
My eyes were filling with tears and the white house staff knew it. I said
"I'm sorry. I can't do this right now."
and I ran out of the press room with Mom, Dad, CJ, Donna, Josh, Sam, and Leo right behind me.
I ran out of the White House, onto the sidewalk and into someone knocking something out of their
hands. I bent down to help them pick the item up.
"I'm sorry."
I looked up and saw it was Nick.
"Steph, are you okay?"
I just shook my head no. I was trying not to cry and I know that opening my mouth would have
prevented that from happening. Mom and everyone was watching from a safe distance. He said
"Do ya want to go home?"
I nodded yes. We all knew he would take me back to the residence and sit with me til I fell asleep.
He picked me up like a baby and carried me back to the residence. He filled me up a warm bath.
As of right now, he was just helping me out. I didn't care if he saw me naked. He was helping me
undress when he saw all of the bruises all over my body. Nick helped me into the bathtub and gave
me a little bit of a spongebath. He went in my bedroom got my PJ's on, pulled the covers down, and
layed me in the bed and covered me up.
"hand me that book over there. Thanks."
We started looking at a whole bunch of happy photos from my life. I was smiling in all of them.
I kept trying to remember what it was like to smile and Nick kept thinking about how he made me
smile while we were dancing. I didn't know dad had hid microphones in my room so he could hear
everything we said. Him, Mom, Leo, Josh, Sam, CJ, and Donna were listening.
"I never asked for any of this."
"What do you mean?"
"This. Being the presidents daughter. Look at all of this. Look at the fancy bedding, books,
carpets, chandeliers. It's not that I don't want to be happy or anything it's just"
"Just what?"
"It's just that I love this life but don't feel like I deserve any of it. Like your sister.
She's been so good to me and I don't repay her with anything more than a thanks and smile."
I started to cry a little. He lifted up my chin and looked straight into my eyes while wiping
tears off of my face.
"Those people out there do what they do because they care about you and your family. My sister
loves you like a sister. She used to tell me that she didn't want to be payed back with anything
other than the satisfaction that she helped someone. Those people out there care about you just
about as much as I do."
I looked him in the eyes and saw that,he too,was about to cry. It's like he couldn't believe that
I was saying all that.
"You are beautiful and you deserve the world, Stephanie Maria. I wish I could give it to you. I
wish I could kiss away your tears, I wish that I could make all your pain and hurt go away.
(by now he was crying) I..I wish that..I could just keep you safe from all the pain and hurt in
the world. I wish that I could comfort you when you have a bad day. I wish I could be your big
protecter. I wish"
I put my finger to his lips. I was crying too. I kissed him. Him put his hand on the back
of my head and deepened the kiss. I pulled him up next to me on the bed. We dissolved
into each others and arms and started full out bawling. You could hear us over dads microphones.
All the people listening had tears in their eyes.
"I love you Stephanie Robertson."
"I love you, too Nicholas Bartello."
"Nick?"
"Yeah, Steph?"
"Don't you ever let go."
"I won't just as long as you don't."
"I won't either."
We had the gas fireplace in my room going. We fell asleep, listening to each others breathing and
the rain pitter-pattering against my windows. I felt so secure with him;like as long as I was with
him, nothing bad could ever happen to me. I was a little frightened at first because I had never
trusted anyone that quickly before, but something in me said'he's okay. he won't hurt you.'
For summary and/or disclaimer, see first chapter
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
A guy came up from behind me and put a
knife to my throat. The bodyguards didn't want to shoot him in fear that he might slice my neck.
I was struggling, trying to get free.This had happened a few years ago when I was raped.
"Quite the little fighter I see."
"Let go of me!!"
He sliced me above my breasts but below my neck. I was now having so many tears go down my face.
"Let go. Please. I can give you anything you want."
"Really?"
"Anything."
"I want you."
He pulled a shot filled with sedatives out of his pocket. I started struggeling harder than ever.
"LET GO OF ME!!"
"no."
He jabbed the needle in my arm. I struggled for a little longer then I was under. I mean I was
awake enough to know what was going on but not enough to stop it. My muscles were paralized from
the medicine.
"plee le go."
"I can't hunny."
he started dragging me out of the building. He took me out to the car and then drove me over to his
apartment where he proceded to beat me up and rape me many, many times.
He drove me back to the white house and dropped me off at the West wing part. I walked in.
CJ, Donna, Josh, and Leo walked up to me.
"Oh my god, sweetie. are you okay?"
"No but was I ever?"
That evoked a little laugh.
"Did he.. ya know?"
"Yeah."
Leo said
"I'm going to kill him."
Leo is like another father to me. Donna went to get my mom and dad. Mom took me into her embrace
so gently as if she thought I would break.
"I'm sorry we let that happen."
"What do you want us to do about the press? They're going crazy."
"Sweetie, do ya think you can talk about it?"
"Yes. I want everyone to know that creeps are everywhere."
Mom, Dad, CJ, Leo, Josh, Donna, Sam, and I all went in the press room. Mom, Dad, CJ, and I all
went up on the little podium thing.
"Stephanie will now be answering questions."
They all started yelling out 'pick me.' so I pointed at one.
"Ms. Robertson, why didn't you fight back after he had sliced your skin with the knife?"
"For fear basicly. I think he cut me first to prove that he would do it. I was frozen with fear."
I pointed at another person.
"Ms.Robertson, can you tell us if it is true that he raped you?"
I was a little taken back at how straight foward the questions were. Dad put a reassuring hand
next to my side. I laced my fingers through his like I would do when I was younger.
"I prefer not to tell you."
"Why? Is it true or isn't it?"
My eyes were filling with tears and the white house staff knew it. I said
"I'm sorry. I can't do this right now."
and I ran out of the press room with Mom, Dad, CJ, Donna, Josh, Sam, and Leo right behind me.
I ran out of the White House, onto the sidewalk and into someone knocking something out of their
hands. I bent down to help them pick the item up.
"I'm sorry."
I looked up and saw it was Nick.
"Steph, are you okay?"
I just shook my head no. I was trying not to cry and I know that opening my mouth would have
prevented that from happening. Mom and everyone was watching from a safe distance. He said
"Do ya want to go home?"
I nodded yes. We all knew he would take me back to the residence and sit with me til I fell asleep.
He picked me up like a baby and carried me back to the residence. He filled me up a warm bath.
As of right now, he was just helping me out. I didn't care if he saw me naked. He was helping me
undress when he saw all of the bruises all over my body. Nick helped me into the bathtub and gave
me a little bit of a spongebath. He went in my bedroom got my PJ's on, pulled the covers down, and
layed me in the bed and covered me up.
"hand me that book over there. Thanks."
We started looking at a whole bunch of happy photos from my life. I was smiling in all of them.
I kept trying to remember what it was like to smile and Nick kept thinking about how he made me
smile while we were dancing. I didn't know dad had hid microphones in my room so he could hear
everything we said. Him, Mom, Leo, Josh, Sam, CJ, and Donna were listening.
"I never asked for any of this."
"What do you mean?"
"This. Being the presidents daughter. Look at all of this. Look at the fancy bedding, books,
carpets, chandeliers. It's not that I don't want to be happy or anything it's just"
"Just what?"
"It's just that I love this life but don't feel like I deserve any of it. Like your sister.
She's been so good to me and I don't repay her with anything more than a thanks and smile."
I started to cry a little. He lifted up my chin and looked straight into my eyes while wiping
tears off of my face.
"Those people out there do what they do because they care about you and your family. My sister
loves you like a sister. She used to tell me that she didn't want to be payed back with anything
other than the satisfaction that she helped someone. Those people out there care about you just
about as much as I do."
I looked him in the eyes and saw that,he too,was about to cry. It's like he couldn't believe that
I was saying all that.
"You are beautiful and you deserve the world, Stephanie Maria. I wish I could give it to you. I
wish I could kiss away your tears, I wish that I could make all your pain and hurt go away.
(by now he was crying) I..I wish that..I could just keep you safe from all the pain and hurt in
the world. I wish that I could comfort you when you have a bad day. I wish I could be your big
protecter. I wish"
I put my finger to his lips. I was crying too. I kissed him. Him put his hand on the back
of my head and deepened the kiss. I pulled him up next to me on the bed. We dissolved
into each others and arms and started full out bawling. You could hear us over dads microphones.
All the people listening had tears in their eyes.
"I love you Stephanie Robertson."
"I love you, too Nicholas Bartello."
"Nick?"
"Yeah, Steph?"
"Don't you ever let go."
"I won't just as long as you don't."
"I won't either."
We had the gas fireplace in my room going. We fell asleep, listening to each others breathing and
the rain pitter-pattering against my windows. I felt so secure with him;like as long as I was with
him, nothing bad could ever happen to me. I was a little frightened at first because I had never
trusted anyone that quickly before, but something in me said'he's okay. he won't hurt you.'