Martha had never realized before how much Air Force One felt like a cage. Her trip back to Washington from the retreat had been barely two months ago, but it felt more like a decade: I've changed more than I thought. She pushed this out of her mind and followed the First Lady to the upper deck. Hal Gardner had gone to the conference area of the plane to confer with his cabinet by phone, leaving Angie, Beth and Martha to entertain one another in the Presidential suite; fortunately, it was Beth's first time on Air Force One and she was too excited for conversation. Her delighted explorations left Martha free to confer with Angie and required only the occasional "isn't that wonderful?" or "I know, I love that" to keep her happy.

"You knocked 'em dead, Martha. Keep this up and you'll have a whole new career ahead of you." Angie looked up from a handful of press clippings and smiled.

"If anyone had ever tried to tell me that I'd enjoy doing this, I wouldn't have believed it." Two days after her first foray into public speaking, Martha still looked mildly surprised. "I'm actually looking forward to the next one."

"We've got time to kill. If you want to start drafting your next speech, this may be your only chance for the next several days."

"You're right. What can I say about the importance of education that's never been said before?"

"Nothing, probably. But it isn't what you say, it's how you say it. What about the importance of electives like languages and art?"

"Good idea. I was thinking about speaking out for charter schools."

"That'll guarantee you some press. If you need any research done for this stuff, let me know what you need and I'll work on it when we get back."

Martha relaxed into her seat and began scribbling phrases and ideas as they occurred to her. She was jerked out of her concentration by a nudge from Angie: "Agent Pierce, ma'am."

Aaron had entered the suite, ostensibly to greet the First Lady. "Mrs. Gardner. Is everything all right?" he inquired formally. It came almost as a shock to Martha to see Aaron in his professional role again, unassuming and watchful.

Beth gave him a bright smile. "Yes, Agent Pierce, thank you." He nodded and continued on to Martha and Angie: "Is there anything you need, ma'am?"

"Thank you, Aaron, I think we're fine." Martha smiled and gestured to her legal pad. "I'm working on my next speech. The first one went really well," she added, lowering her voice.

He gave her a quick smile. "I was sure it would." As Beth came up to them, he changed the subject. "I came to tell you that the President says he'll be with you in half an hour, Mrs. Gardner."

"Thank you, Agent Pierce." As Aaron left the cabin, Beth leaned over to Martha. "He used to be your regular agent, didn't he? Agent Pierce?"

"Yes. He stayed on with the White House after his promotion. I've got Agent Cardona now." Unable to resist, Martha added: "What do you think of him?"

Beth looked puzzled. "Well, he seems very nice, and I know Hal thinks a lot of him. I'd say he's an excellent agent. But… he doesn't talk very much, does he?"

Martha managed to keep a straight face. "No, he doesn't. He never talked much to me either, but he notices pretty much everything. I'm glad he was assigned to this trip. He saved my life and the Suvarovs' during the attack; they'll probably remember him."

The President joined them shortly afterward. As the hours passed and they drew closer to their destination, he grew distracted and seemed unable to concentrate. Martha eventually realized that Hal was nervous, which surprised her until he leaned over while Beth was giving orders for dinner and whispered, "Martha, you may have to give me that pep talk again."

She grinned and whispered back, "I may have to give it to myself." The more she'd thought about Hal's plan of bringing her to Moscow, the more she wondered if it would work. She'd spent less than twelve hours with the Suvarovs the day of the attacks, not enough time for her to get to know them well. No matter how much they appreciated her presence, all the goodwill in the world might not be enough for them to establish a closer relationship. Then again, what if Yuri and Anya were to snub the Gardners and spend all their time with her? Diplomacy was not Martha's strong point, and she was unsure if she'd be able to steer the talks back on course if they did not go well. Hal's tension proved to be catching; by the time they landed in Moscow, she too was a bundle of nerves.

"Okay, here we go," muttered Gardner as they filed off the plane. Martha had expected that their party would be escorted to the Kremlin to meet the Suvarovs there; she was surprised to see them waiting on the tarmac, surrounded by a group of dignitaries and accompanied by several intimidating types who had to be Russian Secret Service agents.

"The locals don't look too welcoming," Cardona commented irrepressibly to Aaron as they fell in behind the Presidential group.

"I see one guy I know. His name's Kryukov. Speaks English pretty well." Aaron was delivering this information in telegraphic sentences while keeping his eyes on the tableau ahead of him. "I'll talk to him as soon as I get a chance."

"Mr. President. Welcome to Russia." Yuri Suvarov smiled and shook Gardner's hand. Martha had carefully positioned herself behind Beth Gardner, and felt a moment's relief as she realized that the Suvarovs were determined to show a good public face. They moved on to greet Beth with equal politeness, and then Anya seized her hand.

"Martha! It is so good to see you. You are well?" Martha saw genuine concern in her eyes, and was touched; if Hal Gardner's theory was correct and the Kremlin knew what Charles had done, they would undoubtedly have known of the collapse of her marriage as well.

"I'm very well, Anya, thank you for asking. It's very good of you to welcome us like this," she added, smiling. "It's wonderful to see you again. I'm very grateful to President and Mrs. Gardner for inviting me." This for the benefit of Beth, still standing next to her.

"Come, we will get you inside as soon as possible. This rain…" Anya gestured to the grim-looking skies overhead and made a grimace of disappointment. "I was hoping for better weather, Mrs. Gardner, but we must take what we are given." Anya gave a few crisp orders and led them to a car waiting nearby, making small talk all the while. She seemed surer of herself on her home ground than she had in California, and Martha again realized that she was a highly competent First Lady.

Standing on the tarmac, Aaron eyed the Presidential limousine as it pulled away. He noted with approval that it was accompanied by two cars of agents as well as a motorcycle escort, then glanced around and succeeded in catching Kryukov's eye. The agent stepped forward and shook Aaron's hand with scrupulous politeness. Slightly taller than Aaron, he had a passing resemblance to Arnold Schwarzenegger enhanced by his accented English: "Agent Pierce, yes? Our President has had nothing but good things to say about you." He smiled. "He says you are a very fine shot."

"Thank you," Aaron replied, bowing slightly. "Agent Kryukov, Agent Cardona. We're looking forward to working with you again."

Kryukov nodded to Jon. "We shall meet," he announced. "When everyone has returned to the Kremlin there will be time to discuss the schedule for this week."

"That will be fine." Kryukov led them to a nearby car and Aaron nudged Jon, who had bristled slightly: "Remember what I told you? They're in charge."

"Sorry about that, chief," Cardona apologized, grinning. "You're right."

An hour later, Aaron and Jon sat in conference with Kryukov and several of the Russian agents reviewing the agenda for the summit. Since Gardner's goal had been to re-establish diplomatic relations between the two countries, the schedule emphasized meetings and relatively few trips outside the Kremlin.

"Tomorrow night the opera at the Bolshoy… that should be easy," commented Kryukov. "We know that building very well. Then there is the reception at the American Embassy. They always have their parties in the Great Hall on the first floor. Very large room. We will be guarding the doors, of course, and have agents on the inside as well."

"This area?" Cardona indicated a room at one end of the Great Hall.

"Kitchen facilities. The embassy always uses the same caterers. They have been thoroughly checked."

The meeting was short and to the point. "Thank you, gentlemen," commented Kryukov, as he stood to indicate the end of their conference. "We will leave you to unpack and rest for a bit. Nothing is planned for this evening."

After Jon and Aaron left, the Russians resumed their seats. The atmosphere of the meeting changed slightly, partly because at least half the agents lit cigarettes as soon as the Americans were out of the room. The tone of their discussion now, while less formal, was just as businesslike:

"Can we trust them?"

Kryukov rolled his eyes. "Of course we can. This Pierce is one of their best. He's the one who shot those terrorist bastards while they were trying to blow up the motorcade. I remember him from the Palmer visit a few years ago, and he was the same then. I always heard that Palmer would have trusted him with his life."

"Then do we follow protocol, or do you wish to make an exception, sir?"

Kryukov frowned for a moment. "We can't make an exception. Not after what happened with Logan. I know President Suvarov expects the recordings to be made. And this Gardner… no one knows him well, and he worked with Logan." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think we have a choice."

Their first day or so in Moscow Martha continued to wonder whether Hal Gardner would be successful in his quest to repair the relationship between the Suvarovs and the White House. She had no opportunity to question Gardner directly as to the progress of their talks, and was reduced to observing his mood when they met for meals. Beth and Martha were accompanied by Anya Suvarov almost constantly, so that pumping Beth for information was also not an option – not that Beth would have been likely to tell her anything. After this bitter reflection, Martha made an effort to pull herself together and reminded herself that she was here in the role of catalyst, not as First Lady and definitely not as Beth's confidante.

The most difficult part of the trip by far was being cut off from Aaron. She knew his priority was her and the Gardners' safety, and she didn't want to endanger his job by making their relationship public, but aside from occasional eye contact she almost never saw him. When he did speak to her it was always formally, but gradually she noticed that he never referred to her as "Mrs. Logan" if he could help it, substituting "ma'am" instead. Once they did exchange a few words, while she was chatting with Anya and Beth regarding the opera they were to attend that evening:

"Do you go to opera often, Martha?"

"Not all that often, but I certainly remember the last time I went. It was the last time I saw David Palmer." Martha sighed. She and Charles had had tickets, but Charles hated the opera. Seeing that David Palmer was in Washington, she'd called him on a whim to see if he was free that night. He was, and was glad to accompany her. "We had a wonderful time, but I can't remember what we saw, believe it or not."

"It was Carmen, ma'am."

She turned and smiled. "Was it, Aaron? That's right, you came with us that night." Aaron had actually volunteered for an extra shift when he'd heard Palmer was coming, though she did not know that.

"Are you interested in opera, Agent Pierce?" Anya looked slightly surprised.

Aaron looked slightly abashed. "Well, I remember this one, Mrs. Suvarov. It was very good." He'd been struck by how much Bizet's beautiful, dangerous heroine resembled Sherry Palmer, and he'd entertained himself during the performance by imagining her taking the stage as Carmen. He quickly returned to his position behind them and continued to escort them through the Kremlin before he could attract any more attention to himself.

Midway through the trip Martha's mood improved as the Suvarovs seemed to thaw from their guarded politeness. This was no doubt aided by Gardner's relaxed charm, in contrast to Logan's shrill edginess; Martha had to admit that Hal was much better at concealing his anxiety than Charles had ever been. Fortunately, Gardner and Suvarov had discovered a common interest in hockey during one of their early conversations. Since both had competed on teams in high school, this topic could be relied on to clear the air after moments of tension. While Suvarov never directly accused Logan of betraying his whereabouts to the terrorists, his offhand references to the attack were double-edged enough that no doubt was left in Hal's mind that Suvarov knew what had happened. Very little progress was made regarding the treaty, but Gardner allowed himself to hope that future visits would accomplish more in that direction.

The day of the embassy reception, Martha was waiting for Angie in the sitting room of her suite. She was searching for her evening purse when she heard a knock, followed by "May I come in, ma'am?" from the hallway. Aaron entered and closed the door behind him.

"Aaron! Is everything all right?"

He moved into the center of the room, lowering his voice. "Everything's fine. I finally got a few minutes to myself and I really wanted to see you." He looked at her for a moment. "You look beautiful, Martha. I had a feeling you'd be wearing that dress tonight."

She read the longing in his eyes and moved closer to him. "You promised me you'd kiss me in the Kremlin," she reminded him softly.

He pulled her into his arms. "You know I always keep my promises." What started as a slow, soft kiss quickly deepened into a passionate embrace as they sought to take advantage of the first moments alone they'd had in days. The memory of their enforced separation was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Finally, Aaron pulled back with a sigh. "These have been the longest three days of my life." He cupped her cheek in his hand and gave her a searching look. "How are things going? Are you okay?"

"It's going all right, Aaron. I really think the President's going to pull this off." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "Everything's okay except for how much I miss you."

"I love you, Martha." He hadn't planned to tell her, but once the words were out he would never have taken them back. "I want you to know that I love you."

Overwhelmed with happiness, Martha was unable to speak; instead she hugged him fiercely, feeling tears well up in her eyes. When she was able to trust her voice, she whispered, "I love you too, Aaron." She tried to smile. "How did I get so lucky?"

"The luck's all on my side, Martha." He leaned his forehead against hers for a moment, and she buried her face in his shoulder. "Oh, Aaron, I don't think I can stand this much longer. I can't wait till we get home."

He stroked her back comfortingly. "Just two more days." He gave a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Where's Angie?"

"She should be here any minute. You should have seen her this afternoon, she was so loaded down with catalogs and file cards from the museum it was unbelievable." Martha giggled for a moment. "She says she came here with a shopping list Marie gave her of stuff she wants for the Smithsonian."

"Oh, Marie lives for that sort of thing." Aaron grinned. "If it weren't for her job, she'd be a hoarder for sure, but she files all that stuff at work instead."

Martha was stunned by the beauty of the Embassy. She'd heard many references to the Great Hall where the reception was to be, but was unprepared for its sheer height and length. The focal point of the room was a huge crystal chandelier hung from the domed ceiling. After their arrival, she and the Gardners had been greeted by the ambassador and passed on to the room at large. She could see Aaron from time to time, usually by one of the doors leading into the Hall or talking with Jon Cardona.

The Gardners were surrounded by a large group of embassy staff, and Beth looked to be in her element. Martha grinned and felt herself relax as she realized that she was free to talk to whomever she wanted instead of being forced to talk to "the right people." She helped herself to some of the appetizers that were circulating, then found herself addressed by the consular director, a friend of Mike Novick. He introduced her to several Americans who had been invited to the reception; Martha recognized one or two of them as contributors to the Keeler campaign. She found herself having a better time than she'd hoped for, up until the moment when dinner was announced.

Aaron was first to notice that something was wrong. He had his gun out without conscious thought before realizing that what had alerted him was one of the waiters, who was holding his tray awkwardly and reaching underneath it. As he caught Aaron's eye, the ersatz waiter panicked and, scrabbling for the object, lifted the tray up enough so that Aaron could see what it was.

It was a gun.

Without hesitation Aaron pushed the heavily loaded tray straight into the waiter's face. As he went crashing to the floor, Aaron pulled the gun from his grip. Unfortunately, two other "waiters" had seen their altercation and were headed for him, weapons drawn. "Protocol Red!" Aaron shouted, bringing agents on the run from every corner of the ballroom. A wave of attackers was now pouring out of the corridor that led to the kitchen; Aaron heard shots fired next to him and realized they were coming from Williams. He scrambled laterally across the room toward the Gardners, standing near the podium, spotting Angie in the process: "Angie, get Martha!" he shouted.

Martha was standing about halfway down the hall. She'd been chatting with Anya Suvarov and the Ambassador when the attack started. The gunshots and chaos petrified her, taking her back to her panic and helplessness during the attack in Los Angeles; she was unable to move.

Two men, shielded by a flanking line of attackers, headed toward her shouting in Russian. Anya stiffened, grabbing Martha's arm and shouting at her to run… "they're after you!" Cardona was running toward them but was still too far away to help. Suddenly Angie lunged forward, firing shots and taking down the two leaders. Jon joined her and blocked Martha and Anya, shouting instructions: "Get back! Get them out of here!"

The Gardners and President Suvarov were now surrounded by a knot of agents. Kryukov had joined Aaron and Williams and was shouting orders to his staff, while coolly firing at the attackers still headed in their direction. There were fewer of them now. We've got them on the run, Aaron thought for a moment, then sensed a body falling heavily at his feet.

He looked down. It was Williams. For a moment, he was stunned. A second later he forced himself to look up again, but it was too late. He felt a hammer blow on his chest, and then lost consciousness.

Angie and Jon between them had herded Martha and Anya Suvarov into a small holding room off the ballroom that could be more easily defended. The rest of the attack was a blur of noise and confusion that slowly resolved; gradually Martha realized that Cardona was shouting into his wristcuff radio rather than firing. She was able to hear the outcome of the attack by standing near him:

"The Gardners are safe…"

"Williams is dead."

And the words that would echo in her memory the rest of her life:

"Agent Pierce is down― "