Welcome to Bermuda

Situation two: The third kiss

...

He took a deep breath and looked around the cabin before looking back down at his phone. She'd said they were wrapping up fifteen minutes ago. Where was she?

He had really hoped that this weekend at Camp David would have given them some time to spend together. After they'd decided to see if there was actual potential for something more than friendship between them he'd been struggling to find enough time between crisis to give it some thought.

That wasn't exactly true. He'd given it thought. A lot of thought, that was the problem. Not one moment of actual interaction had led to anything close to what he'd been thinking about.

He had decided he was overthinking.

So maybe the first date had been all about work, and the second had seemed like two college roommates catching up. So what if the first kiss had been awkward, weren't they all? So what if the second kiss had seemed kind of like kissing his sister? That just meant they were comfortable together right? That was a good thing right?

This was Emily he was talking about. He had a chance to fall in love with Emily Rhodes. Smart successful, smoking hot Emily Rhodes. One of his favorite people, hell probably his most favorite. What could be more perfect than that? Just because it had been more difficult then he'd expected didnt' mean that it wasn't still going to be one of the best relationships he'd ever had. Maybe the last.

He resound himself to tonight being the night. Kiss number three was going to be the kiss. Tonight he and Emily Rhodes were going to fall in love.

"Well that took forever." He jumped at her voice as she made her way into the room. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"Dinner was two hours ago. Why were you still stuck there?" He asked making his way over to her and helping her off with her coat.

"Meetings about meetings." She shook her head. "Pour me a drink."

He did as he was told.

"I thought the whole point of being at Camp David was so that we could be more relaxed?"

"Apparently the President didn't get that memo." She sighed. "So far the only thing I've noticed about Camp David is that it's dark as hell out there and I don't get much of cell signal."

"The food was disgusting." He murmured.

"Oh god yes. The food was disgusting." She agreed, leaning back in her chair. "So what's on the agenda for Camp David date night?"

He watched the grin cross her face. It felt right. This defiantly felt right.

"I don't know. I figured we could take a moonlit walk or something." He raised an eyebrow, trying not to read too much into the way the shimmer left her eyes at his suggestion. "Or we could stay here, watch a movie?"

She looked around the room before grabbing the liquor bottle and refilling her empty glass.

"Where's your bunk mate?" She asked him, taking his glass from him.

"I don't know. He probably went for food. He hardly ate a damn thing at dinner." He reached back for the drink only to find her still frozen in place, her face blank.

"What?"

"What 'What'?"

"He didn't eat?"

"No." He leaned in a little as if it would help him see whatever she saw that he did not. "I mean it is weird. I've never seen Aaron meet a meal he didn't devour."

"Not anything?" She bit her lip.

"Like two bites." He clinked his glass against the bottle in reminder but Emily simply set it down and picked up her phone.

"Seth, how long has it been since you've seen him?" She typed into her phone, before Aaron's started chirping from the table in the room. "Shit."

"Since I left the two of you after dinner." He shook his head. "What's wrong?"

"We need to find him." She announced jumping back up and grabbing her coat. "Now."

...

Emily had been watching Aaron Shore all evening. It was a habit she was trying to break from when he had been her best friend; her anchor, before the whole spying, treason quitting fiasco. She'd found it more difficult then usual to abstain today because of his odd behavior and abrupt exit from the meetings. He was unusually quiet, adding nothing preoccupied. He seemed almost annoyed at times; she'd actually considered at one point maybe he'd had too much wine with dinner. When POTUS had asked him for his opinion he had muttered off some nonsense; like he didn't know what the hell he was being asked. Emily had swept in and recounted Aaron's earlier opinion on the subject and Shore had managed an odd nod. He'd also left at some point, whispering something to Kendra on his way out the door.

Kendra. She liked her, she really did. Kendra who radiated with confidence. Kendra who'd come to Aaron's rescue in the eleventh inning. No. The country's rescue. It had been the country's rescue. Why did she have to keep reminding herself of that? Maybe because of how Aaron had raved? How he'd suggested Kirkman hire her immediately. Maybe that was why.

None of that mattered now though, right now she just had to find him. She was being ridiculous, that's what she kept telling herself. He would be off somewhere reading through briefs alone at a table, he'd make a face at her. Or even laugh when she told him she'd been worried. The other voice in her head though, the one that was putting together all the pieces of the evening, was growing more and more panicked.

Seth had not questioned her about her sudden panic over the disappearance of the National Security Adviser, despite the painful grunting sighs that he'd given trying to keep up with her pace as they retraced his steps. She'd finally decided that the two of them could look twice as hard apart.

She had hoped he'd had better luck then her, but there he was, alone at the front door of her cabin where they had decided to meet.

"Nothing?" She huffed.

"No one's seen him. What's going on?"

"We're going to need to get the Secret Service." She mumbled to herself swinging the door open.

"What's going on?" Seth finally asked.

"Oh thank God!" She breathed moving into the room. "Aaron I was starting to freak out."

She moved towards him quickly as he blinked away from the ceiling he was staring at.

"Hey."

"Christ you're soaking wet. Did you do anything?"

"Where were you?"

"In the meeting you left." She snorted."Did you take anything?"

""Where were you?" He repeated.

"Aaron I need you to try and focus."

"I feel like shit, Em." His eyes tried to hold onto hers.

"You look like shit."

"You still want me." He mumbled.

"Well lets try and keep you alive and we'll see."

...

Seth watched from across the room as she moved her hands across his face.

"Where's your bag?" He didn't answer, but she had already found it and kicked it over with her foot. A small black pouch Seth had seen Shore carry a million times slipped out and she snatched it off the floor. Aaron gripped at her arm as she opened it and pulled out an egg shaped device and pressed it against his forearm.

"Ouch."

"Big baby." She muttered.

"You don't have to do it so hard."

"Now you're conscious?" She looked back down as it beeped. "Shit. Shit. Shit." She dug into the pouch again. "It's 42."

"Crap." She shuffled through the bigger bag. "Couldn't find it."

"Seriously?"

"What's wrong?" Seth's voice made them both jump.

"Toss me my purse." She ordered, catching it in mid air when he did. She pulled out a small bag of suckers and popped one in Shores mouth. "He should have juice and crackers and a tube that looks like icing in his carry in can you run and get it?"

"Is he diabetic?"

"Yeah, hurry." She told him quickly.

"Bossy." Aaron murmured.

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes.

Seth made his way back across the compound and back to Emily's door, still haphazardly cracked open.

Aaron's eyes blinked open and he turned to look at her.

"You back with me?" Emily was sitting on the arm of the chair, her fingers stroking back damp curly locks of Aaron's hair.

"Think so." He told her softly as she stuck another sucker in his mouth. "I'm sorry."

"For getting sick?" She snorted. "Or for not having your lifesaving medication with you?"

"No for dragging you into it." He sighed, turning to face her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were feeling sick?" Aaron took a deep breath before he answered her.

"Things have been weird between us Em."He sighed. "I thought it was just a virus."

"Yeah but a virus can be a big deal." She shook her head. "We had an agreement after last time."

"Doesn't matter." He smiled a little. "Seems like my semiconscious self ran to you anyway."

"More like stumbled." She snorted.

"Keep rubbing it in." Seth watched Emily press her lips to his forehead. "Did you just kiss me?"

"I was checking for a fever." She smirked at him. "Which you have."

"Whatever." He chuckled. "I think we're going backwards."

"I think you're hallucinating." She groaned. "Stop talking and suck."

"This kiss was medically necessary, kiss number two was awkwardly cordial.. but the first one.."

"The first one." Seth listened to the melodic tone of her voice.

"That's the kind of kiss that other kisses aspire to be."

"Pretty sure of yourself huh?" She teased.

"Em... come on." His head lulled towards hers. "It was an epic kiss."

"It was fine." She grinned at him, shaking her head, but Seth watched the way she brushed her thumb across his lips.

That was enough, Seth swung the door open and Emily's face lit up.

"You found it." She slipped off the chair and met him half way though the room.

"You are a good man Seth Wright." Aaron called.

"You okay?" He asked, taking in his friends horrible color.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Nurse Ratchet here will have me fixed up soon."

"I didn't know you-."

"Yeah. I'm not really comfortable.. telling people..."

"After tonight you are going to be." Emily ordered, handing him the juice before reaching for the monitoring device again.

"Seth knows now." He took a sip and looked at Wright again. "You can educate him on all this." He gestured to the supplies and candy strewn across the table. "Ow." Emily glared at him as she pulled back the glucometer.

"Well we don't need an ambulance." Emily huffed. "Yet."

"How is it?"

"62. Drink." She muttered. "Big baby."

"Nurse Ratchet." He growled back, still keeping his fingertips against her arm as she opened a pack of crackers.

"You need anything else?" The press secretary suddenly felt very out of place.

"No. Seth. Go to bed this day sucked." Aaron moaned, dropping his head back and staring at the ceiling. He pulled his hand off Emily's arm and gestured towards her. "She knows what to do to make sure I stay alive."

"If I choose to do it." Emily huffed. "I'll walk you back."

"You're going to leave me?" Shore snorted.

"Try not to die." Emily shot back. "Then I'm having the Secret Service get a doctor."

He groaned in protest as she moved out the door with Seth.

"Sorry about date night." She sighed.

Wright looked at her for a long moment before smiling lopsidedly.

"What?" He leaned in, his hand cupping her chin, and kissed her tentatively. He felt her body stiffen slightly, gone was the relaxed posture she'd had moments ago with Aaron, gone was the calm, confident vibrato of her breathing. She leaned in, waiting for him to deepen the kiss, her fingertips tightening against his wrist.

"Emily." He whispered, his warm voice full of understanding. "You should be with him." Rhodes pulled back a little, her face blank and frozen before her smile forced it's way onto it.

"He's okay." She shook her head. "They'll come look at him, but as long as I can keep his sugar up he'll be fine. I am going to have him stay with me tonight so I can keep an eye on him."

Wright reached up and stilled her still wobbling chin.

"No." He looked back at Aaron and then to her. "You should be with him."

"Are you breaking it off with me?" Her eyes widened.

"You're my friend. My best friend." He smiled at her. "But we're not epic kiss material."

Her lips twitched and for a second Seth thought she was going to protest before her eyes softened.

"I'm sorry." She breathed, her grip on his arm loosening.

The corners of his mouth turned up and he wrinkled his nose as his head moved to say no.

"We'll talk tomorrow. Your patient needs you." He planted a kiss on her forehead and she smiled.

...

"I'm still alive." Aaron told her as she made her way back into the room.

"Damn." She muttered walking over to him and sitting on the coffee table edge.

"Thanks. For all.." He gestured at the things.

"You should have told me earlier you felt sick." She stuck her finger out at him. "After what happened last time you said you would."

"Yeah. Well, things have been-." He looked away, he didn't want to have this conversation. He wanted it to be light and easy. He was still having trouble focusing, he was wholly unprepared to spar with Emily Rhodes. "It was just a fever I didn't think it would-."

"Did you think I wouldn't have helped you?" She almost shouted.

"Obviously not since I came to your room for rescuing." He snorted looking at the wall. "Not like I can cower to anyone else."

"You told Kendra-." His head wiped back to her.

"That I had to take a call." He interrupted, that shut her up. "And don't think I haven't noticed the Seth thing."

"Yeah well that's over after I made him tear apart Camp David looking for you." She huffed.

Aaron pressed his lips together and watched her fiddle with the packet of crackers she'd picked up.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, reaching out and tracing his finger down her arm to her elbow.

"It wasn't about you." She sighed. "Not all of it. It was kind of weird anyway."

"Still." He swallowed. "Seth's a good guy. The kind of guy you should be dating."

She turned back to him, and held his eyes.

"You're a good guy Aaron." She told him sweetly. His foot pushed against the floor, rocking his body slightly as he tried and failed to keep his eyes on hers. He broke off the eye contact and looked at his shoes before groaning under his breath. Emily touched his face with her fingertips.

"My head hurts."

"You need to eat." She told him softly. "I have one of those nut and cheese snack things.."

He nodded at her, laying his palm on her hip when she rose to retrieve it.

"I missed you, Em."

"I missed you too." She told him, kissing his temple before making his way to the min-fridge.