Chapter Forty-Six - Hotel Bar
The weekend had come and gone far too quickly for Elizabeth's liking. She sat at her desk twisting a pen through her fingers, she had been so eager to leave work on Friday, and now Monday had come around again she couldn't think of anything worse than going home to an empty house, knowing full well that Stevie had practically moved in with Jareth these days.
She let her mind drift off from the document before her for a minute, thinking about moments from the weekend;
—MS —
'Mom I missed you so much' Alison mumbled as she sunk into Elizabeth's side on the couch in the house she used to call home.
'Oh Darling I miss you too, so much' She sighed and pulled her daughter closer to her side. 'I'm so glad I've got you all weekend' She whispered into her hair, her heart melting as she felt her daughter's arm drape across her body as they cuddled to watch some trash TV.
—MS —
'Mom, I read this article in OK! Magazine about you the other day, I was wonde-'
'It's trash Jase. Why are you even reading that?' She cut across him, frowning above her glasses as they ate breakfast
'Alison had it' He shrugged. 'Just so we're clear, you can't just ask your DS to kick someone's arse for the sake of it?' He smirked.
'No! And watch your language you' she rolled her eyes giggling a little at her son's cheekiness.
— MS —
'You know, I am really shocked you have been called into work Mom!' Alison smiled
'Yeah, you'd think there were plenty of people out there who hate the Dalton administration. I am rooting for Sam Evans in the election' Jason smiled proudly
'Oh is that so?' Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him
'Yeah, he seems pretty cool' He smirked and Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief
'Well, lets just hope you don't use the money I make from the Dalton Administration to attend any Rally's or buy any Sam Evans merch' she mocked
'Mom! I would never be so disrespectful'
'Yeah right, you literally just admitted you're going to vote against Mom in a few months which would literally mean she could lose her job if your stupid guy wins' Alison rolled her eyes at her brother
'Anyway' Elizabeth giggled, keeping the peace between them both. 'I wasn't called into work because I took the weekend off, Dalton agreed it was ok for me to prioritise my family, remember that when you cast your vote' she raised her eyebrow playfully at Jason who scrunched his face up mocking her.
'I've loved having you two home, I love you both' she whispered into the air between them, her hands reaching out to hold one of theirs each.
'Love you too mom' they both echoed.
— MS —
Elizabeth was brought from her memories of the weekend by the sound of someone knocking on her office door.
'Come in' She sighed.
'Sorry to interrupt Ma'am, you just received a rather peculiar request-' Blake spoke as he walked further into the office.
'What does Russell want now?' She groaned
'Not Russell Jackson Ma'am, Russian Foreign Minister Konstantin Avdonin, he's asked to meet with you. Stressed it wasn't a matter or urgency but one he would be sure you're interested in. He asked to meet you at this location, I've looked it up and it's an upstate Hotel Bar, not exactly the type of place where you will be seen by anyone, if you catch my drift' Blake trailed off slipping her the post it note which he took the address down on. She glanced up to him, confusion mustered over her face.
'Did you set up a meeting?' She twisted her lips as she ran her fingers over the address, trying to picture the location.
'I didn't need to, Minister Avdonin said he would be there regardless, and should you be interested in hearing him out then for you to join him at some point this evening. If it gets to eleven o'clock tonight he will assume you're not going' Blake relayed the message. Elizabeth just stared at him, even more confused than she was originally.
'Thanks Blake, Have I got any more meetings tonight?' She asked, resting her chin on the backs of her hands as her elbows rested on her desk.
'No Ma'am, this hotel is about a thirty minute drive and it's already gone eight o'clock, so if you do want to go, don't be here too late' He smiled, his head nodding firmly as he turned and left her in the room alone with her thoughts. Before Blake had even left the room Elizabeth's curiosity had got the better of her. She sat and pondered notifying Russell or even Nadine of her possible meeting with Avdonin but decided against it, something was telling her that this meeting was meant to be kept in secret, much like the chosen location.
Elizabeth grabbed her belongings and headed out of the office, closing her nights work with soft goodbyes to her staff, in forming no one of her next stop. She smiled at her DS agents as they waited outside with her motorcade, it wasn't until she was inside that she requested a change of plan. She settled back and tried to conjure up any and every scenario as to what he wanted to discuss, but she knew in the world of politics, there were infinite possibilities.
As the motorcade pulled to a stop Elizabeth glanced through the window at the hotel before her. She stepped out of the car into the dead of the night, smiling as she thanked her DS agents and walking into the bar. Elizabeth spotted Avdonin at the end of the bar and walked over to him, perching on the bar stool next to him.
'Madam Secretary, Thanks for coming out' He greeted her with a formal handshake.
'Thanks for the invitation?' She queried
'I know it's a little obscure but it's not official business unless you want it to be' he shrugged. 'I haven't really seen you in person properly since the attack in Geneva, glad to see you're doing ok Madam Secretary' He smiled
'Thank you, you know that attack was nearly Ten months ago, you could have invited me for a drink sooner' she teased,
'What can I say, from the news It seems you've been, shall I say busy?' He looked at her before getting the bartender's attention and gestured to get Elizabeth a drink.
'Single Malt, Neat, Thanks' She ordered and looked over to Avdonin, her eyes studying him intently.
'Let's not go there' she quipped just as their drinks were served and they both gripped them, pulling them closer to their bodies and raising a glass.
'Cheers' Elizabeth spoke, Avdonin matching her toast in his native tongue.
'I am going to assume this little meeting is a renewed good will between us, especially as I actually need to ask you a favour' She paused sipping her drink before continuing 'There is a young Russian woman in prison in Moscow on a hooliganism charge, I'd like to see her released. Talia Petrov'
'What does the United States have to gain by releasing this girl?'
'It's a matter of personal significance' she voiced, her mind laced with Henry, and his endless support he tried to offer her.
'Well I think that brings us in nicely with why I asked you here tonight' He turned in his chair to face her. 'Maybe now you'll consider a trade for Peter Buckly?' He asked and Elizabeth laughed at the irony. She slipped her glasses off and rubbed her eyes as she took a moment to ponder her reply.
'Ok, you're a good soldier for your president,' she gently patted his forearm. 'But Talia Petrov is an innocent girl, Peter Buckly is a high value spy, come on Konstantin' she spoke with a little more seriousness as she lowered her head into her hand.
'Then perhaps we can sweeten the deal with the release of an American spy, are you interested in Tali's brother?'
'Dimitri Petrov?'
'MmHm' he confirmed
'He's dead' she spoke with authority
'What if he isn't?' Konstantin pressed further. Elizabeth's heart fell to her mouth.
'What? No, Konstantin I've seen the files' She dismissed, her heart thumping against her chest.
'What can I say, we're good at what we do' he shrugged. 'Think about it, when you want to talk, you know where to find me' He slipped off his bar stool and left her alone. Elizabeth's heart was in overdrive, thudding against her chest wall as she suppressed the rising anxieties. She exhaled slowly and picked up her drink, downing the remains of the liquid. Her mind swirling with chaos, endless questions consuming her, the loudest of them all being; Do I really want to venture into this and potentially face the boy who was the catalyst in the failing of my marriage, or was it better to never speak of this moment again…