3:30am.

Emily closed her front door quietly behind her in hopes of not waking Aaron. She tiptoed to the bedroom, where Aaron was still asleep. She knew Aaron would yell at her if he knew what she did, but she desperately needed a good run. She quietly shut the bathroom door behind her and started the shower. She was still awake, and she wondered if she should even go to sleep as she let the hot water rain down on her.

3:40 am.

Emily gently slid into bed beside Aaron. She was hoping he would at least acknowledge her presence, but he didn't budge. She couldn't blame him, but she also couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep.

5:15 am.

"Em, are you getting up?" Aaron's voice was urgent, like he had been shaking her for a while, but Emily just started to wake at his persistent jostling. "Your coffee is getting cold. It's 5:15," he added.

At the mention of the time, Emily got up quickly. She knew she should have gotten more sleep last night, but she just wasn't tired. She took a gulp of coffee and went to her closet to get dressed.

6:30 am.

Emily could feel Aaron giving her worried glances all morning. She tried to wear enough concealer, but she knew Aaron could tell how tired she was by the way she was acting. "I'll get you some coffee," Aaron said softly as he left her on her to go to her office. Emily felt like a walking zombie. She sat at her desk and tried to focus on preparing for the day.

8:15 am.

Emily felt better as she walked back to her office from her morning meetings. She already had two cups of coffee this morning and was feeling like she could sustain her energy. She took a seat at her desk and continued to go through the bill to construct a border wall.

She looked up when she heard a soft knock at her door. "Hey new girl," Emily said brightly.

"Hey, I heard about your late night. Figured you could use some of these," Kendra said with a smile as she held up a paper bag and a cup of coffee. Emily couldn't help but smile. "Are those donuts? Tell me those are donuts."

"They are" Kendra replied as she placed the food in front of Emily.

"Seth told you?" Emily asked nonchalantly which caused Kendra to blush and nod shyly. Emily knew what was going on between Seth and Kendra, but she wanted one of them to tell her. She was surprised that Kendra hadn't mentioned it yet since she was awful at keeping secrets.

10:30 am.

Emily looked up from her desk as Aaron walked in. She still couldn't get over what looking at him did to her. "Hey," he said softly. Emily smiled in response. She could listen to him talk forever. "You ok? You don't look too good?" He sounded concerned, and she knew her eyes gave away how tired she was.

"I'm good. Mentally, I feel really good. Physically, I could probably just drop to the floor." She gave a small laugh.

"Well, maybe we can get out of here early tonight. I'll get you dinner and put you to bed, so you can get your sleep."

"Hmm." Emily smiled suspiciously at him. She could think of many ways that would guarantee a good night of sleep. She bite her lip as she allowed her eyes to scan Aaron's physique. She knew Aaron could tell what she was thinking by his glances at her lips.

Emily quickly cleared her throat as Seth walked in her office behind Aaron. "Do you have the memo for today?" he asked.

"Uh, its right here," Emily replied holding it out for Seth to take. She glanced at Aaron who had dropped his gaze to the floor and shifted nervously.

12:30 pm.

Emily had debated taking a nap on her couch during lunch, but she figured the more work she got done at lunch the faster she could go home. She was starting to feel delirious from the lack of sleep.

She had a meeting with Seth at 3 to draft statements on the president's opinion of the bills being introduced to Congress. The director of the CIA was due at two to update the president and Aaron on any national security issues, which luckily Emily would not be attending. The president was supportive of them all leaving at 5 since they worked so late the night before. That was the goal, but Emily knew they would probably be later than that.

She started going through the files for tomorrow. All wrong again. Emily was not in the mood to deal with this. She was about to call in her deputy when Aaron walked into her office.

"Does Ryan know anything about border security?" Aaron asked her hotly. Emily took it he read the border bill. She continued to look at Aaron, knowing he would continue. "The majority of immigrants come by plane not through the checkpoints on the border."

Emily nodded, "I know, and the president does not support this bill."

"When is your meeting with Ryan?" Aaron demanded.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Emily replied simply.

"I'll be there."

"Are you sure that's the best idea, Aaron?" Emily asked softly. She didn't want Aaron to undermine his position as the national security advisor.

"I'll be there," Aaron repeated. She nodded and stood up slowly.

"If you will excuse me, I have to have a word with my deputy." Emily's voice was icy. She was sure Aaron noticed, but she was too tired to care, and she was too tired to put on her professional facade.

"Em, maybe you should do this another day. Nothing good will come from talking to him right now." Emily gave him an icy glare.

"Everyday, Aaron, the files are wrong everyday. It's not that hard." Emily grabbed the files off her desk and started walking to her door.

"Em, why haven't you replaced him yet?" Aaron stepped in front of her, so she had to stop. She was ready to cry. It was because of the lack of sleep, but she didn't want to cry in front of Aaron, so she turned around and dropped the files on the table.

"It was the president's idea. I can't just demote him." Emily kept her back to Aaron and sighed heavily. She felt Aaron come up behind her.

"I'll take care of these," he said softly as he reached for the files. She could smell him close to her and felt his arm brush hers. She shut her eyes and breathed him in, letting his smell soothe her.