Cadence scurried forward through the rain to the small cluster of umbrella shielded people. Her smokey sky eyes darted to the Vice President first before she spied the small carrier in Gavin's hands and gave a wide smile. Her pace increased to a small run, prompting Agent Casper to walk a little quicker whilst still maintaining a polite distance from the young woman.
Cadence pressed her palms to her thighs, pushing against her wrinkled grey skirt as she bent over to view the contained animal.
"Ooh what a little cutie you are," she enthused happily.
Gavin pulled a face of disgust at Cadence's cooing to the animal and glanced around wearily for the small press party that were due here.
The raccoon chittered back angrily. It had been making its unhappiness at being in a carrier known for the past ten minutes.
John eyed Cadence carefully as she fussed over the pest. She looked a little unkempt, slightly frazzled from her run and she was starting to get soaked with the ongoing drizzle. He glanced over to one of his umbrella holding aides and gestured to Cadence with a gloved hand.
The aide nodded before moving to shelter Cadence with large, black umbrella.
There were four aides whose current purpose was sheltering the small Vice Presidential party with large, wide umbrellas. They were doing an admirable job against the drizzle which was starting to get heavier but there was little they could do for the chill.
John rubbed his black gloved hands together before moving to stand nearer Cadence and Gavin. Until now he had been making an effort to avoid the black masked bane of his existence today.
"Cady do you ever wear a coat?" John queried with exasperation.
Cadence stood upright, turning quickly to glance over her shoulder at the VP. She gave him a smile. "I'm wearing a jacket," she said as she raised her hands to the collar of her grey blazer and gestured down to it.
John shook his head even as his gaze filled with amusement. "That is not a coat."
"I've a scarf too," she added defensively.
"Still not a coat," John scorned.
Gavin swallowed down a sigh. He didn't know if he wanted some other form of company or was glad that other staffers weren't here for this. Cal had washed his hands of it, Sandra hadn't been invited and Tanya had made a point of being too busy to even be asked. It was just Gavin and Cadence with the expected Secret Service party and a few aides who, Gavin thought unkindly, were little more than the help acting like butlers and maids by providing shelter from the rain.
Frantic footsteps on the hard, damp ground signalled the arrival of the press. There were a couple of reporters approaching looking a little moody with being assigned such a silly piece on a miserable day with their cameramen and sound guys.
Cadence looked over at them wearily. To her all press were the enemy lately but it was a personal feeling she knew she had to shake off, she was in Public Relations damn it, her whole job was based around being friends with these people.
Cadence studied their surrounds quickly, it was after five and what little daylight there was, was fading fast, it was cold, grim and damp.
"Where's this guy going to live?" she queried as she turned her attention to the zoo keeper and manager who had been offered up for the ceremonious raccoon donation.
The zoo keeper, an attractive blonde somewhere in her mid-twenties, flashed a smile and gestured with one hand to a paddock over to the right.
"In there, we already have three friends waiting," she retorted cheerfully.
Cadence nodded as she looked to the plexiglass guarded area. It looked spacious with trees and greenery as well as a rocky background that offered some nice shady dens for shelter.
"Alright, well let's stand there then," she said.
Cadence started walking over to the enclosure prompting the aide with the umbrella to move quickly to match her pace.
"Are you going to name him Mr Vice President?" the zoo keeper quipped shyly as she walked with them. She lingered on the other side of an agent and had to lean over slightly to spy out the man.
John glanced over to her, thinking it was an idiotic question but when he caught her bashful stare he made himself smile back and even offered up a small chortle.
"I don't know, what's a good name for a raccoon?" he quipped aloud.
The zoo keeper was ready to answer but John had turned back to Cadence this time.
John was matching the young woman's pace with ease, keeping himself almost at her side.
"Cady, you're bound to have a suggestion," John said.
Cadence looked at John with surprise. "I...I'm not really sure," she murmured.
John gave her a serious stare as they came to a halt before the cage. He stepped close to her as he turned to put his back to the glass.
"I could make a dedication for him," John said softly.
Cadence stared in at the raccoon enclosure, tensing as she heard the rain patting hard on the umbrellas. She knew who John meant, the boy always on the edge of her mind, brought to the surface every now again when something triggered a memory. He had died in the rain like so many others in the jungle. Cadence shuddered and immediately feigned the gesture for cold as she pointedly wrapped her scarf tighter about herself.
"His family might think it was a mockery," she retorted quietly. "Let's not do that."
Cadence turned away from the enclosure and glanced over to the carrier again. "Could we just call him Lucky?" she ventured.
John smiled and nodded. "Sure."
Cadence glanced up at John again, conveying her gratitude in her grey-blue gaze. She realised they only had seconds before the press reached them and made herself focus on the task at hand. She turned her gaze back to the carrier in Gavin's hand.
"Right Gavin," Cadence murmured, "better hand Lucky to the Vice President."
"Gladly," Gavin grumbled as he stepped over to John and held the carrier out.
The gesture prompted a loud, irate chittering from within.
Cadence doubled over again to give the raccoon a sympathetic stare. "It's okay Lucky," she said soothingly, "it won't be for long, then you're going to a nice, safe home."
John frowned slightly at the carrier before he became aware of the cameras that were preparing to film him. He accepted the handle of the cage in his right hand and held it by his side like a shopping bag.
"Hold it with a little more care Mr Vice President," Cadence advised quietly, "it's an adorable, living creature not a bag of of potatoes."
Despite her comment, Cadence found it hard to temper the attraction in her stare as she took in John holding the carrier. He was poised and handsome, attired in a long, black, woollen, Alexander McQueen coat with a perfectly ironed white shirt collar on display and a glimpse of an expensive silk tie striped in red, white and blue.
Cadence knew John was here performing this almost degrading publicity stunt because of her but as much as it pleased her it upset her too. Why did John keep complicating things? She had been through enough scandals these past few months, she could suffer no more and she did not think her father or the President could forgive her for any more.
Gavin snorted at Cadence's remark and raised a hand to his mouth in an attempt to hide the gesture.
John raised the cage half-heartedly before glancing to the blonde zoo keeper. "Shall we?" he quipped.
The cameras flicked on to record and the reporters readied themselves.
Cadence and Gavin stepped back out of the way, sheltering together under one of the large umbrellas. The rain had gotten heavier and it was difficult for them to hear their boss over it.
The reporters made a valiant effort with their interview, smiling cheerfully despite the heavy greyness and talking lightly as they tried not to talk over each other when asking questions.
John put on a fine show of charm, smiling brightly as he held up the carrier to show the fortunate raccoon to the cameras. He talked so chirpily one would have believed he was sincerely happy to be there.
The young zoo keeper beaming at the Vice President only added to the happy atmosphere despite the rain.
Cadence watched with satisfaction despite her growing annoyance for the rain.
John handed the carrier over to the zoo keeper completing the ceremonial gesture of a donation to the zoo and he shook hands with the manager who stood beside her.
They watched and waited as the zoo keeper took Lucky into his new home and released him from the carrier. There was a small smattering of applause before the obligatory photos were taken and the presentation ended with Lucky filmed investigating his new surroundings.
Cadence gave a small smile as she watched. "Stay safe please," she murmured quietly.
Once it was concluded, the reporters were quick with their thanks to the Vice President before they scurried off to escape the weather.
John thanked the zoo keeper and her manager again before shaking their hands a final time. He reunited with Cadence and Gavin and they headed for the zoo exit and their cars.
"Cadence how did you get here?" John quipped.
"Agent Casper got a car arranged," Cadence explained.
"Agent Casper," John repeated in confusion.
"Behind us," she retorted.
John glanced over his shoulder and spied the vaguely familiar agent walking discreetly behind them.
Agent Casper gave the Vice a small smile. He walked unshielded from the rain but showed no discomfort from it.
John nodded back before turning his attention back to Cadence. "It's good he's still with you," he approved.
"Is it?" she quipped bitterly.
"Yes," John said firmly. He stared down at her sternly but the look went unmissed.
Cadence stared down at the puddles as they walked. She was unwilling to start the argument with John that she had had so many times with her father now.
"So," she said with some forced merriment, "can you explain how this all came about? You donating Lucky to the Smithsonian Zoo?"
John gave a small grin when Cadence glanced up at him curiously.
"He startled some of the secretaries last night and they called pest control," he explained, "but I thought he should have, shall we say, a Vice Presidential pardon."
Cadence laughed at this. "Well I'll thank you on his behalf for that." Cadence's stare turned serious as she caught John's intense blue stare. "Thank you Mr Vice President," she said sincerely.
Cadence felt a flush of heat rush through here as she became aware of their closeness. She had gotten better at ignoring her urges when she was close to John but considering what he had done today it was hard to subdue her attraction to the man. She swallowed hard and fidgeted with the ends of her striped scarf.
John nodded as he tried to suppress his own rise of attraction as Cadence sounded out his title.
"You and Lucky are very welcome," he assured.
John's stare gave nothing away as he held Cadence's grey-blue stare. He watched her pupils dart about, hyper with anxiety, and glanced down as her hands rose to fiddle with her scarf. He recognised the signs of unease and he despaired a little for her. He wondered for the umpteenth time what had happened in her missing hours in Colombia and knew he would have to press the issue soon. A flicker of anger rose in him as he wondered why in the hell Leo wasn't pressing it or pushing her to see someone.
Gavin, who was paying little heed to the conversation, filled with delight at the sight of the cars.
"Finally, somewhere dry," he said happily.
Gavin glanced to John for permission to take shelter.
"Go ahead," John said quietly with a nod to his Deputy Chief of Staff.
Gavin gave him a grateful look before he hastened over to the cars.
John smiled at Gavin's retreat from the rain before glancing back to Cadence.
"Is your car still waiting?" he quipped.
Cadence nodded and gestured to a black car across the road. It was ordinary, nothing too flashy, just a plain five seater with the driver waiting up front. John wasn't entirely too happy with it, sure it blended in but there wasn't much in the way of speed or protection.
At the sound of a car door slamming, the young woman tensed up and her head whipped about wildly as she looked for potential danger with wary eyes. She only just resisted the urge to duck down for cover as a few panicked puffs of air escaped her in rapid succession.
"Cady what's wrong?" John queried in concern. His voice was strained as he tried to keep his alarm back from it.
The Vice President was staring at her with worry. He had followed her darting gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary and his agents were not reacting as if there were anything to be worried about.
Cadence shook her head dismissively. "Nothing, it's just been one of those days," she murmured.
John frowned as he knew she was being evasive and that pushing the issue wasn't going to get him an honest answer. He was also conscious of the stares Cadence had netted from his staff with her tensing. He didn't everyone focused on them, it made it impossible to have a discreet conversation with her.
"Bad day at the White House?" John pried curiously. He gave a sardonic smile at this. "I couldn't imagine what that's like," he added teasingly in an attempt deviate from the seriousness she had brought to them.
Cadence didn't smile at the jest, she was busy thinking back to her late lunch. Tom had taken her to a nice little place a few minutes drive from the White House called The Golden Cornerstone. She smiled thinking back of the appealing lopsided grin he kept giving her, each time he had smiled his mouth had tugged up in a corner on the right side of his face. Tom had made joking enquiries about cheese before insisting on getting a cheese platter for dessert, certain after all Cadence's talk of cheese that he couldn't conclude his day without having some.
"It wasn't all bad," she admitted.
John wondered at the expression on her face and found it odd that he could only be suspicious at the sudden soft glow of happiness that crossed her face, banishing some of the fear held there.
"And why was that?" he queried.
Cadence stared back at him and knew she couldn't tell him about Congressman Landis. It was silly but she didn't want John thinking she had gone on a dinner date. It had been light hearted with nothing but conversation and that too had been light and mostly about cheese and Chessie but she still didn't want John to know about it.
Cadence studied John, taking in his intense blue eyes and his soft mouth which wavered between a frown and a smile as he didn't know which to offer her. She felt an urge to stretch up and kiss him but it was wrong, it was always wrong and Cadence was feeling too tired for more scandal and fed up with having to constantly be conscious of her surroundings and the ever watching eyes. She wondered if she had leaned across the table at her late lunch/dinner to kiss Landis would it have mattered. Would there have been a ripple of rumours to follow?
"There were people talking about sea monsters," she retorted.
John didn't know how to respond to that. He was feeling a tension rising in him and he knew his people were starting to wonder why the hell he was lingering so long in the rain to talk to one of his team.
"Sea monsters," he murmured dryly.
John glanced to his waiting car, aware now that the rain was becoming heavier and turning into a torrent. He didn't want to linger with idle conversation but it was too late in the day to invite Cadence back to the office without raising suspicions and she looked tired. He wanted to talk to her but he had to go over his fossil fuel speeches with Cal and he knew Suzanne and her ire would be waiting for him. He considered that he should probably make arrangements to have dinner with Suzanne to make up for the lost breakfast.
"Have you had dinner?"
The question was out there before John could help it.
Cadence looked back at him in surprise.
"I was thinking that we all could," John added quickly, aware of the aides in earshot, "you, me, Gavin, and Cal."
Cadence shook her head. She felt uneasy in the rain, the smell of damp was beginning to sicken her and she had spent so long on edge today that she was exhausted. All she wanted was sanctuary, a hot bath and a glass or two of wine or whiskey.
"I had a very late lunch," she admitted, "but thank you Mr Vice President."
John felt a small flare of anger at her refusal. He thought of how he had humiliated himself today for her- before his wife, his colleagues, the press and whatever part of the nation that would be tuning into this evening's feel good piece on the news. Why had he done it? Out of a selfless fear of knowing how upset she would be if he hadn't, or a more selfish desire for a reward when she found out what he had done? John realised he didn't really know, maybe it was both, he wanted to avoid Cadence being upset, especially after all she had gone through but he was also hoping that this might be the thing that finally brought her closer to him.
Even now, John still found himself thinking of Cadence in her midnight blue evening dress, swinging it around seductively as she danced with Josh, completely unaware of the allure she had caused in John that evening. He had been so eager to kiss her out on the veranda, hell he had even considered it might be worth the risk at some point but then she had started talking about his wife and shot him down.
John reached out to her with a gloved hand, giving a small smile as he saw the eager spark in her stare before she banished it. He gripped her right arm gently, pleased that she still wanted him despite her refusals. He tried to fan down the anger within him, reminding himself that Colombia really wasn't that long ago and it was the fear of further rumours and scandals that kept Cadence at bay.
"That's fine," John murmured. "Just tell me, are you definitely alright?"
Cadence pushed back a strand of damp, fair hair with two fingers and nodded insistingly. "I am," she said as her head bobbed up and down.
Cadence pulled back from his grip and raised both hands to her scarf in a show of adjusting it.
John nodded even though he saw the lie in her eyes.
"Okay. Cady, can you do one thing for me?"
"Yes Mr Vice President?" She looked up at him curiously, at once intrigued and worried about what he would ask.
John smiled down at her, lust creeping into the edges of his warm stare as she sounded out his title was more and unwittingly stoked his ego with it. He tapped the tip of her nose lightly with one finger. "Get a coat," he retorted.
Cadence looked surprised before she smiled and nodded again.
"I will Mr Vice President." She glanced over her shoulder, searching the streets for something that might seem out of the ordinary. "Anyway," he gaze flickered back to John, "we had better get going, we've kept everyone in the rain long enough."
John nodded agreeably and glanced to his car again. "I'll see you tomorrow Cady."
"Bright and early sir."
Cadence moved to the cross the road to her waiting car, all too aware of Agent Casper behind her. She wondered how closely he had observed her conversation with the VP and if he thought anything of it. She shook her head and fidgeted with her hair once more before cursing crossly as the sound of car doors closing had her jumping slightly and splashing through a puddle in an attempt to compose herself.
Cadence let out a weary sigh as her driver got out and opened the back passenger door for her.
She stood staring in at the vacant seats with an empty stare. She remembered the van and tried to think if it had been raining that day. She didn't think it had but the smell of damp had been there too- hot blood and salty sweat, yes that kind of damp, not the rain. The rain had been in the jungle and the street where Robbie had died.
Cadence jumped again at the sound of another car door closing and let out a gasp of surprise as she turned to the right and stumbled back on her heels.
"Cady?"
Agent Casper was staring at her with a cautious stare. He was a few feet back, waiting for her to get in before he could enter the front passenger side.
Mike Casper might being seeing Cadence less during the days but he still saw her enough to notice the continuous unease in her. Some days were better than others but today was definitely bad. Knowing only what he had been told about her trips to Colombia, Mike couldn't guess what was triggering her paranoia today or what exactly it was she was afraid of- CIA agents, Colombian soldiers, rebels? Mike didn't know and he figured it would be up to a therapist to figure it out.
Cadence gave Mike and the waiting driver an apologetic smile before getting into the car wordlessly. The only decision she could be bothered with now was whether to have a glass of wine or a bath first or perhaps both together. Whiskey was out the window, looking at John had reminded her of her last bender on whiskey.
Mike waved the driver on and he closed Cadence's waiting door gently, the gesture still had her tensing slightly. When Mike got into his seat and glanced at Cadence in the rear view mirror he saw she had her eyes closed and her hands clenched tightly on her legs.
Cadence climbed into the waiting bath with a satisfied sigh. It was steamy, only just toeing the line between pleasantly warm and scalding, exactly how she liked it. She placed the glass of wine on the white edge behind her and slid down into the bubbles.
Her eyes closed as she continued moving down, slipping under the water to give her hair a good soak and have just a few seconds of bliss. She hoped to block out the wretched, unending sound of rain for just a moment.
In the darkness the gentle lapping of the bath water about her skin seemed louder than normal. The gurgle in her ears swiftly became an uncomfortable roar. The heat of the water suddenly became suffocating and she felt a rush of panic as she realised how vulnerable she was in this moment, deaf and blind to anyone who wanted to charge through the door.
Cadence rose up gasping for air. She clutched the edges of the bath before leaning over to grab at the waiting towel to dab her face with. Angry that her ideal moment of privacy and peace was being destroyed by unwanted memories, she determined to dismay them. After drying her hands she reached to the small wooden cabinet where she had retro tape player waiting. She hit play and reached for the wine glass as some disco music came out through the lone speaker.
Cadence took a sip of the sparkling white and pressed her head back against the back of the tub. She told herself stubbornly that she wasn't going to be this mess anymore. She had conquered Colombia and the CIA, it was done and she had survived.
Her gaze dropped ahead to the end of the bath and she frowned. The steam made her focus hazy and she felt a little rush of dizziness with the heat. The end of the bath seemed impossibly far away and the gentle motion of the water gave her an unsettled sense of vertigo as if everything was bouncing up and down.
The jungle had been humid and wet, even without the rain. She felt her skin slick with sweat as she was forced onto a plane that shook unsteadily bobbing up and down in a rushed take off before it was suddenly shot down.
Cadence slammed the wine glass down angrily behind her.
"Shit," she cursed aloud as she stood up from the bath causing the water to slosh loudly against the sides.
She knew she wasn't going to relax in here despite her best efforts. She reluctantly turned on the shower head raised in the centre and bowed her head under it to wash away the bubbles hastily. Hearing it combine with the rain filled her with anger and she rushed to wash her hair, determined not to linger on it.
After a quick rinse, she thumped off the tape player, climbed out of the bath and pulled out the plug to drain it.
The rubber duck from John's suite in the Driskill Hotel caught her gaze as she bundled a towel around her. As she studied it she considered another distraction for her mood.
Cadence knew she couldn't stay here alone tonight, every little thing was getting her guard up. She didn't feel safe here, even knowing Mike was outside. He maybe could stop Colombian rebels seeking vengeance but he couldn't do much for the phantom soldiers in her head lurking at every corner, conjured to life with a bang that had her thinking of gunfire or that relentless rain that took her straight back to the jungle.
Cadence frowned as she dried herself. She didn't want to be this way but the problem was she couldn't be anything but herself. She kept staring at the duck, she had wanted to embrace John today, to kiss him in a flurry of passion so he would know how deeply grateful she really was for what he had done for Lucky. She knew how difficult it would have been for him to do it, how many would have viewed him as ridiculous for it while she had only felt desire and adoration, knowing the gesture was for her.
"Damn it."
Cadence turned away from the duck as she unwound the towel from her body and wrapped it about her hair. John was married. John had always been married, all the time she had known him and irregardless of his and her feelings towards his wife an affair was wrong. A sex scandal would be hugely embarrassing, for John, for the President and for her father. After everything Cadence had put them through this she could not add this to it.
Cadence stared at her reflection angrily. She saw her sins reflected back as if written upon her face- traitor, whore, liar. Her mouth wrinkled slightly as she gripped the edge of the sink with both hands and suppressed a whimper. She just wanted to do things right, to make her father proud, to be good at her job and to have someone for herself without deception and lies.
A sardonic smile slipped out, ugly as it reflected back to her in the mirror. She figured a lasting relationship wasn't on the cards for her. Well hell, tonight it didn't matter, even just a few hours of distraction would be something. Meaningless sex might even be a relief, a novelty without the burden of secrecy.
Cadence slipped on her underwear and dressing gown before heading out of the bathroom and across a brightly lit hall to her bedroom where her hairdryer waited.
Once she had dried her hair her telephone rang. It was John. With a single call Cadence's resolve weakened.