The morning after their wedding Stevie woke up when Russell got out of bed.
He leaned over to kiss her. "Good morning, Mrs. Jackson."
"Mm." She pulled his arm and he sat back down on the bed.
"We have a decision to make," Russell said. "Fast now or take our time later. I should warn you it probably won't be both."
"In that case I'll wait and wear you out tonight."
Russell got up, took two steps and turned back.
"Change your mind?" Stevie asked.
"I had a moment of clarity about priorities."
Stevie was often on top and they both liked that when they were taking it slow. But sometimes they just wanted to fuck. Missionary might not be the most exciting position but for skin and eye contact it couldn't be beat, especially if you were in a hurry.
Afterward Russell showered, dressed and went down to have breakfast with Ken and Logan. Stevie followed more slowly. She slipped on sleep pants, tee shirt and a robe. She had two step-sons a few years younger than her and she wouldn't be half-dressed when they were around. Russell had never mentioned the subject to her, just as he had never warned her about office behavior when they worked together. He trusted her to do the right thing.
Ken and Logan looked a little surprised at her appearance. Stevie had brushed out her hair and pulled it into a ponytail. Her skin was luminous but without makeup and wearing glasses instead of contacts she looked like a pretty teenager instead of the beautiful woman of yesterday. She had spent the night before the wedding in her old room at her parents' house so Russell's sons had never seen her in the morning.
Stevie grinned at them. "I'm married now so I don't have to try anymore."
"You look great," Logan said. "Just …"
"Young?" Russell asked.
"Well, yeah. But I didn't mean …"
"Don't worry about it. We got past the age thing pretty quickly."
Stevie took a bite of Russell's half-eaten Danish and laid it on the counter away from him while she got things from the fridge. "I'm making a big fruit and kale smoothie. Enough for everybody."
"Nobody heard of kale until a few years ago. What the hell is it anyway?" Russell asked.
"It's good for you, that's all you need to know," Stevie replied. She poured smoothie in four glasses and passed them around.
"This is good," Ken said. "You can't even taste the kale."
"And yet I know it's there," Russell said.
Stevie handed him wheat toast spread with peanut butter. "Enjoy. What's your tee time?"
"Noon."
"Nine holes?"
Russell nodded.
"So, two hours. Don't eat at the clubhouse. Be home by three and we'll have a late lunch before taking Ken and Logan to the airport."
Russell's mouth opened but before he could speak Stevie added, "Steak salad with corn relish and pita bread. Key lime trifle for dessert."
On the golf course Ken said, "Lunch sounds great. Does Stevie cook or order in?"
"She's been cooking a lot since she left the veep's office. It was a little hit or miss at first. Perfect quiche, risotto not so much. Practice pays off, everything is good now."
"She's … um … kind of a managing type?" Logan said.
"You can say bossy. I didn't really see it until recently but I should have expected it. I've got the mother at work and the daughter at home."
"That's your type," Ken said.
"What do you mean?"
"Dad, you have all this power at the office, but at home? No. Mom and Elena kept you under pretty close supervision. Looks like Stevie will do the same. And you like it. You can be more effective at work if you don't have to think about anything else."
"You don't want to be a surgeon any more, do you?"
Ken grinned. "I'm leaning toward psychiatry instead."
After lunch they all went to the airport. Logan kissed Stevie's cheek and said, "Dad's lucky to have you."
"Thank you. I'm lucky, too."
Ken kissed her other cheek. "Take care of each other."
"We will."
As the boys headed for the concourse Stevie called after them, "Thanksgiving at the McCord's, if you can bear the idea."
"We'll be there."
Walking to their gates Logan said, "I was kind of dreading this weekend but it turned out okay."
"Yeah, I felt like we had to go but I didn't expect to enjoy it."
"Stevie's all right. So is her family."
"The age difference is way too much," Ken said, "but it works for them."
"Did you ever think Dad would be with someone like her?"
"Nope. I was pretty sure he'd remarry, and sooner rather than later. I wasn't surprised when he called to tell us he was seeing someone. He likes being married, maybe needs to be married. But a widower, especially one of Dad's standing, is rare. I thought he'd get snapped up by some DC matron."
"In a weird way I'm glad she's so much younger than Mom," Logan said.
"If she was older it would feel like Mom getting replaced but Stevie as our step-mother is ridiculous."
"You think anything was going on before Mom died?"
Ken shook his head. "Mom, Adele and Elena? One of them would have noticed. Stevie didn't move to the veep's office until January. That's when it got serious. They didn't start getting close until after Mom died. Elena said Stevie helped Dad pack up Mom's things a month later."
"They really sleep together?"
"Don't be in denial because you don't want to think of Dad having sex."
When they got home Russell said, "The kids are gone and we have the house to ourselves."
An hour later Stevie said, "I thought taking our time tonight wasn't going to happen."
"I'm surprised, too."
Monday Russell went back to work. That evening Stevie told him how she spent her day.
"I enrolled full-time at Georgetown."
"Good for you. So you'll be back in college in January."
"Classes start next week."
"How did you get in this semester?"
"I shamelessly dropped the names of my husband, mother and father."
"You promise anything?"
"Of course not, but they might be hoping that one or more of you will give a guest lecture."
"This is a dilemma because I'm proud of you for doing whatever it took to get in but not looking forward to what I might have to do. I think guest lecture is a job for Bess or Henry."
"I also had to pay late enrollment fees and the semester tuition upfront."
"With what?"
"Mom and Dad turned over my college fund to me."
"You're making good use of it but I'd be happy to pay."
"I know, but I've got this. Besides, you'll be paying in other ways the rest of your life with me."
"Looking forward to it," Russell said. "What are you taking?"
"Some of the courses I wanted were full like poli sci and economics but I got history, sociology, creative writing and literature."
"Have you considered that you may be more your father's daughter than your mother's?"
"What do you mean?"
"You decided against law school, you were writing a novel before you dropped out of Lovell, and you took Irish lit when you had to enroll to get the internship for the microloan program. Maybe politics isn't your true passion."
"At our reception you said you were glad we had politics in common."
"You can be interested in politics without making it your life's work. We can still talk politics. Or literature. I've been known to read a book upon occasion, even poetry. You can explain the hard parts to me."
"I'm twenty-five and I've been taking one class a semester for years. I'll graduate next year but I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up."
"So get a degree in liberal arts or the humanities. If you find your calling and want to pursue it, there's always grad school."
Tuesday morning Russell went to see Elizabeth.
"Did your daughter tell you what she did?"
"I haven't spoken with your wife since Saturday night."
"Stevie enrolled full-time at Georgetown."
"That's great!"
"Classes start next week."
"But it's too late for this semester."
"She did a hat trick with you, Henry and me."
"What did she get us into?"
"She didn't promise anything but expect to be contacted about a guest lecture."
"Henry is the professor. He'll do it for Stevie."
"And if they want two lectures, you're next in line as a former professor."
"You have to take some responsibility, Russell, you're her husband. Maybe they'll only call Henry since he was on the faculty for awhile. But if they call either of us, we do it together. Deal?"
Russell sighed. "Deal."
"You leave tonight?"
"Yeah."
"Have a nice honeymoon."
Tuesday evening Stevie and Russell took a commercial flight to Lomé, Togo on the west coast of Africa. Ostensibly they were on a wedding trip but the real reason was that President Dalton was sending Russell to contact the Togolese president privately. Since it was an unofficial visit, they weren't using air force transportation. They did get to fly first class.
As they left the airport they were approached by a uniformed officer. "Mr. Russell Jackson?"
"Yes."
"Please to come with me."
"What's this about?"
"Our president wishes to greet you."
"Very gracious of him."
"Your luggage will be delivered to your hotel," the officer said. He snapped his fingers at an underling.
In the limousine Russell said, "We're not dressed to meet the president."
"No worry. It is informal."
"I am pleased to meet the White House chief of staff and his bride," the president said when they were introduced.
"We're honored to meet you. But this is a private visit, you understand."
"Of course. We are delighted that you have come to Togo for your honeymoon."
"My wife chose it."
"And is there a particular place you wish to see?" the president asked Stevie.
"Pendant que je travaillais pour le programme de microcrédit, j'ai aidé avec plusieurs prêts à des entrepreneurs au Togo et depuis lors, j'ai voulu voir votre pays," Stevie replied.
[While working for the microloan program I assisted with several loans to entrepreneurs in Togo and since then have wanted to see your country.]
"Tu parle français!"
[You speak French!]
"Un peu. Je suis hors de pratique."
[A little. I'm out of practice.]
"Non, non. Vous parlez assez bien. Et je crois comprendre que vous êtes la fille de Madame la secrétaire d'Etat Elizabeth McCord ?"
[No, no. You are quite fluent. And it is my understanding that you are the daughter of Madam Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord?"
"Oui."
[Yes.]
"Vous et votre mari devez venir au palais présidentiel pour le dîner."
[You and your husband must come to the Presidential Palace for dinner.]
"Nous sommes ici pour quelques jours seulement, nous ne voudrions pas imposer."
[We're here for only a few days, we wouldn't want to impose.]
"Pas du tout. Ma femme voudra vous rencontrer aussi. Demain soir ? "
[Not at all. My wife will want to meet you as well. Tomorrow evening?]
"Nous attendons avec impatience."
[We look forward to it.]
"Une limousine sera à votre hôtel à six heures."
[A limousine will be at your hotel at six o'clock.]
"Je vous remercie."
[Thank you.]
In their hotel room, Russell said, "I'm going to shower. Join me?"
They did shower because it had been a long day traveling but the first few minutes were spent discussing the Togolese president.
"We'll speak privately tomorrow after dinner but the president's staff won't know unless he chooses to tell them. They may suspect but publicly we're not here on government business. And since I don't have a security detail to sweep the room, if we want to talk privately we'll have to turn water on in the bathroom or music in the bedroom." Russell paused. "You asked if you were the right wife for me. I hope you have your answer."
"I'm just sorry you had to sleep with me all this time to get a wife who speaks French in case you were sent on a secret mission to a French-speaking country."
"Sacrifice is part of public service. Now I'm stuck with you because I needed you for my cover story."
"Do you really think our room is bugged?"
"It might be so we have to take precautions."
They dined at La Belle Époque and went to bed early.
A little later Stevie whispered, "We forgot to play music."
"On the plus side," Russell whispered back, "I think we really sold the honeymoon."
The next morning they visited the Grand Marché traditional market which included music, dancing horses and a knife dance. They lunched at Côté Jardin and in the afternoon visited the Akodessewa Fetish Market which is the world's largest voodoo market. It was grisly but fascinating.
After dinner at the Presidential Palace that evening Russell and the president disappeared for a private talk. Stevie practiced her French with the president's wife.
They were up early the next day, heading north to the Caves of Nok and the Keran Forest Reserve. They had eaten in fine French restaurants so far but today they snacked on local food from street carts.
They flew home Saturday, arriving at 5 pm by gaining five hours in time changes. Russell's car was waiting to take them to the White House. Russell had spoken with Dalton every day by secure phone but the president wanted to discuss the situation as soon as possible. Elizabeth and Henry were with him in the oval office. Stevie reported on her exchange in French with the president when they first arrived and also on her conversation with the president's wife, although nothing of consequence had been discussed.
"Thank you, Stevie," Dalton said.
"I didn't really do anything."
"Speaking their language is always an important factor, and you provided a reason to go there that was unconnected with Russell's task."
"She's a natural," Russell said.
"She got spy genes from both her parents," Elizabeth said.
Stevie and Henry went to Russell's office so that Dalton, Elizabeth and Russell could talk in private.
"How's married life?" Henry asked.
"Exceeding expectations so far."
"I hear you'll be back at Georgetown on Monday."
"I really want to finish this time. Russell said I may be more like you than Mom. He pointed out that I keep leaning toward academia instead of politics."
"I'm liking your husband better and better."
When Russell and Elizabeth joined them, her mother asked, "Did you really process microloans for Togo?"
"Of course."
"Did you remember them?"
"Not very well. I stopped by the office and looked them up."
Elizabeth and Henry glanced at Russell.
"News to me," Russell said. "Was Arthur there?"
"Yes. He has a girlfriend. Maybe I should invite them for dinner."
"Okay," Henry said, "we should be going."
On the way home Elizabeth said, "I hope that's not going to be their first fight."
"Russell didn't sound mad."
"Stevie's past is littered with previous boyfriends and an ex-fiancé."
"Russell has been married twice before, divorced and widowed."
"That's the thing, he hasn't seen his first wife in decades and Carol is dead. Stevie's exes are young and alive and could pop up anytime."
They had Sunday to recover from the quick trip and long flights then real life started again when Russell returned to work and Stevie went back to college.
Three weeks later Stevie met Russell at the door in the evening. After their usual kiss she said, "I'm late."
"Three days," Russell said.
"You track my periods?"
"I do. And your breasts have been tender the last couple of weeks."
"You noticed."
"Nothing gets past me. Have you taken a test?"
"I'm just about to."
Upstairs, Russell changed while Stevie peed on the stick. Two minutes later the result showed positive.
"This is happening," Stevie said. "We'll have a baby next June."
"And I'll be seventy-three when he or she graduates high school."
"Any regrets?"
"No. Even though I'll be mistaken for a grandfather. Are we telling anybody?"
"Not until Christmas. First trimester will be over."
Two weeks later Stevie got up in the morning, took a few steps, stopped and then ran for the bathroom. Russell was knotting his tie. It had been twenty years but he recognized the signs. He got there in time to hold Stevie's hair back as she heaved. She sat back, a faint green undertone to her skin.
"Better now?" Russell asked.
Stevie nodded.
Russell gave her a cup of water to swish and spit. "I'll be right back."
He brought a small Tupperware of saltines. "Eat a couple now and go back to bed. Have some every morning before you get up and don't let yourself get too hungry during the day. Always have something with you. Cold or room temp food is usually better than hot."
Stevie smiled at him. "I love you."
"I'm pretty fond of you, too. Your first class at nine today?"
Stevie nodded.
"Lay down for fifteen minutes. Try some applesauce before you leave. If you don't feel well, skip class. Call if you need me."
Russell called an hour later. "How are you?"
"Fine now. Walking out the door."
"Let Elena make dinner for awhile. Cooking smells can set off nausea."
"How do you remember this stuff after twenty years? I read a book three weeks ago and I can't remember everything."
"Photographic memory."
"Some things have changed in twenty years."
"I read the same book you did two weeks ago."
"Show-off."
"I blame your verbal abuse on mood swings."
Stevie laughed. "You'll get a lot of mileage out of that."
"Gotta go," Russell said. "Love you."
"Love you, too."
Three weeks later Elizabeth McCord and Russell Jackson gave a presentation on diplomacy and politics at Georgetown University. Interest was so great that it was filmed in the largest auditorium on campus and it was so popular that it continued to be shown in classes for years. Their relationship had been adversarial during Elizabeth's first few weeks in office but they had united over the Vincent Marsh incident and, though their opinions often differed, had been an exceptional tag team since then. They were both critical thinkers at the top of their game in positions they had defined and that had also defined them. Their shared sense of humor didn't hurt either.
"You could teach when Dalton's term is over," Stevie told Russell afterward. "If you're not too busy consulting or writing."
"I've had a couple of offers," Russell said, "but I never really saw myself as a teacher. Patience isn't my strong suit."
"You're patient enough for college students. They don't need to be coddled any more than your staff does. I can see you as a professor."
The McCord house was raucous when the Jacksons arrived for Thanksgiving with butterhorn rolls, jellied cranberry sauce and pies, everything homemade by Elena because Stevie was feeling sick sometimes and was saving her energy for keeping up with her classes. She was a little pale and quieter than usual as they got ready to eat but no one seemed to notice until she left the table soon after they sat down and dishes were being passed.
"Is Stevie sick?" Jason asked. "She better not be spreading her germs around."
Elizabeth and Henry shared a look.
"Don't worry, buddy, you're a carrier but you're not going to catch what she has," Henry said.
"Is she pregnant?" Alison asked.
Elizabeth turned to Russell. "Are you going to read us in on the situation?"
"Yes, she's pregnant."
Stevie came back and sat down.
"So, five full-time college students," Henry said a little too heartily. "How's school?"
The college students were silent.
"Two seniors, a junior, a sophomore and a freshman and nobody has anything to share?" Elizabeth asked.
Stevie looked around the table. No one was meeting her eyes. She turned to Russell. "You told them."
"They guessed, I confirmed."
"Your father and I do have some experience," Elizabeth said. "It was all the food smells, wasn't it?"
Stevie nodded.
The table erupted into cheers and congratulations.
"We're very happy for both of you," Elizabeth said. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine. Just a little queasy sometimes."
"How far along are you?" Henry asked.
"Ten weeks. We were going to tell you at Christmas."
"When can you find out if it's a boy or girl?" Alison asked.
"At the ultrasound in January but we're not sure we want to know."
"I'm adding maternity and baby clothes to my brand."
"Logan and I suspected," Ken said.
"How?" Russell asked.
"There's a stuffed panda in the guest room," Logan replied.
"Stuffed as in taxidermy?" Jason asked.
"Dude, no! Why would you even …"
"It's a fake-fur stuffed animal," Russell said.
"I only asked because of your panda obsession," Jason said.
Russell looked at Elizabeth.
"You pitched a fit about pandas in front of my staff. Of course it got around."
"To Jason? From your staff?"
"I may have mentioned it at home."
"Everybody knows, Russell, that's why I started panda-camming," Stevie said. "The stuffed panda is adorable. And huge. He brought it home the day after we found out."
"How big is huge?" Jason asked.
"Four feet tall," Ken said. "Take a look." He pulled up a picture on his phone and passed it around.
"Why did you get a four foot panda?" Jason asked Russell.
"Because the five foot was too big."
"So I'm going to be an uncle," Jason said.
"You already are a step-uncle," Ken reminded him.
"Yeah, that's weird. You and Logan are both older than me."
"Our son-in-law is older than your father and I." Elizabeth said.
"Which makes me the patriarch of the clan," Russell said. "Show some respect."
"Did you say clan because Jackson is Scottish?" Henry asked. "So is McCord."
"Mom's maiden name was Emond, that's Scottish," Ken said.
"So is my maiden name Adams," Elizabeth said. "We're all Celtic!"
Alison was busy with her phone. "I found all the tartans. They're gorgeous!"
"We know what comes next," Jason said.
"I'm adding tartans to my brand!" Alison shouted it along with everybody else.
The day after Thanksgiving Blake gathered the troops while Elizabeth was in a meeting. "Something's different about our boss. Not bad; in fact, she seems pleased but she hasn't said anything."
Silence for a few moments then Daisy and Jay said together, "Maybe Stevie's pregnant."
Kat nodded. "MSec's giving off a grandmother vibe."
"How do we know Russell can have children?" Blake asked.
"Because he has two sons?" Matt suggested.
"Let me rephrase: How do we know Russell can still have children?"
"Because the three staff members who have kids think Stevie might be pregnant."
"All right, I assumed that at his age, with grown children, he would have gotten snipped. I mean, why would you want to worry about birth control when your family is complete?"
"In case your wife dies and you marry someone young who will probably want a baby."
"No," Blake said. "I'm going with Russell was too protective of his procreative equipment to have it done."
"No gossiping about this," Jay said. "If Stevie is pregnant, we'll find out when MSec tells us."
The holiday gathering that Russell and Stevie went to the year before was being held again this year. Stevie had chosen an off-the-shoulder dress that skimmed her knees in a silvery blue fabric that shimmered when she moved. But that evening as they were getting ready she pulled out a black dress.
"Would this be more appropriate?" Stevie asked Russell.
"Senator Gates' funeral is Monday. Tonight is a party."
Stevie gave him a look that wives give husbands. "If you'd like me to look older, I can do that."
"If you don't look older in ten years, feel free to age yourself up. Until then, I'll bear the burden of having a twenty-something wife. If you don't mind having a husband who's old enough to be your father."
Stevie pulled the blue dress over her head. Russell zipped it up. She looked down and turned around.
"I'm already up a cup size and they're bigger than when I tried it on last week."
Russell eyed her appreciatively. "That's called cleavage. It's fine. You look wonderful."
The evening was a repeat of the previous year. They mingled, sometimes together and sometimes separately.
Stevie's parents also attended.
"Déja vu," Henry said when he and Elizabeth saw the Jacksons across the room.
"Except this year people will wonder if Stevie got a boob job," Elizabeth said.
"In a month or so they'll know it's all natural."
"Are we ready to be grandparents?"
"Were we ready to be parents? Grandparents are easier than that."
"I'm so excited, Henry, but it also makes me feel old."
"Babe, you'll be the hottest grandma ever."
Later when Elizabeth and Stevie went to the powder room Henry, who was feeling more relaxed than usual, spoke frankly with Russell.
"Elizabeth was the same size as Stevie on top until she had Stevie. And it didn't go away. I mention it in case Stevie takes after her mother."
"Good to know," Russell said.
"In the second trimester Elizabeth was … um … very passionate if you know what I mean."
"The sweet spot of pregnancy."
"Exactly. But very sensitive in certain areas. Once she snapped 'Don't touch my tits!'"
Russell was trying not to laugh. "I appreciate this bonding moment, Henry, but how much have you had to drink?"
"This is an inappropriate conversation, isn't it?"
"At least you're keeping it in the family."
"Let's never talk about it again."
"Talk about what?"
"Good man."
Stevie and Russell held hands on the way home, just as they had last year.
"It's like an anniversary of our first date and first kiss," Stevie said.
"But I won't be dropping you at your parents' door and going home alone."
Later, in bed, Russell placed his hand on the slight convex shape of Stevie's belly. "It doesn't show yet when you're dressed."
"Three or four more weeks for the baby bump but there's no hiding the boobs."
"Mm." Russell's gaze moved up.
"They're sore. Be careful."
Russell laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"Can't tell you."
"Oh," Stevie said. "Is it something about when Carol was pregnant?"
"No." Russell thought for a moment. "I'll tell you and then we're both going to forget it." He repeated what Henry had said.
"I wonder if Dad will remember?" Stevie asked.
"Pretty sure he will. He wasn't drunk."
A few minutes later Russell was carefully licking her nipples instead of sucking or pinching.
"Don't drool!" Stevie's tone was a mock command.
When they stopped laughing Russell said, "You can't let Henry know I told you."
"I won't. I'll probably forget it soon anyway due to baby brain."
Monday afternoon they went to the funeral of former senate pro tempore Theodore Gates. His series of mini strokes years before had prevented him from becoming acting president. That had fallen to the next in line, secretary of state, so Elizabeth had filled the big chair for a day. Gates had retired from the senate after his incapacitation was clear. He had suffered a severe stroke ten days before and died within days.
Stevie was sorry about the occasion but she was glad to go with Russell. Carol had seldom been able to join him so he liked having Stevie with him. Thanks to her years working in the west wing, she knew almost everyone in Russell's circle and they knew her.
Morning sickness had subsided and Stevie was feeling so well that she insisted on having Christmas at their house. With help from Elena of course.
"You've got the glow, sweetie," Elizabeth said. "You look beautiful."
"Feeling okay?" Henry asked.
"I feel great. And I'm starving all the time now."
"Dad, this is your chance," Logan said. "You can watch Stevie's diet like she watches yours."
"Your father is no help. He likes me eating everything in sight so he can justify his own cheating."
"Healthy mother, healthy baby," Russell said.
"You'll regret it if I gain fifty pounds and can't lose the baby weight."
Alison presented everyone with two tartan scarves. McCord and Adams for the McCords and Jackson and Emond for Russell and his sons. Stevie got three: Jackson, McCord and Adams.