Thank you for the continued support! Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates, Happy Holidays to everyone else. I'll see you again in the New Year!
Chapter 4
Isabella finished with her phone calls, a long morning of condolences, before she walked to her first Cabinet meeting as President. She'd sat in on these meetings before when Harry wasn't in DC, but this was different.
The atmosphere in the room was somber, but she could tell there were some nerves as well. Not wanting anyone to be on edge, she addressed the elephant in the room.
"I want to thank you all for coming. I know the last twenty-four hours have been shocking to say the least, but I want to reassure you all that I have no intention of making changes to this Cabinet at this time. If any of you wish to resign, we will work to find a replacement for you, but Harry and I worked together more than most administrations to find the right mix of people. I have faith in your abilities. For now, I would like to get to the business of the day."
From there the meeting went well. She was briefed on various projects and bills that were being worked on, and the time moved as the group laid out their next moves. When they were finished, Bella was surprised to find Liam and Eleazar waiting outside for her.
Liam stepped forward at her confused expression. "Mrs. Clearwater called down while you were in the Cabinet meeting. She's finished speaking with the representative about the funeral, if you would like to go up to the residence."
"Very well. Where's Agent Masen?"
"He was taking a call, but will meet us in the residence once he's done," Liam relayed.
With a nod, she allowed them to trail just behind her. Samuel and Marcus were waiting in the main corridor; with them in tow, she traveled up to the residence. There were a lot of people moving. Bella was shocked by how quickly they were able to pack up the family's things, but she had little doubt her own residence looked much the same at the moment.
A staffer stopped in their path and looked towards the West Sitting Room. "Mrs. Clearwater is waiting for you."
Samuel walked ahead and checked out the room, but when he saw that the only people inside were the First Lady and two of her agents, he allowed Isabella to enter.
"Gentlemen," Sue said, "do you mind if I speak with Isabella in private? You can wait outside any of the various entrances to this room."
The agents murmured their agreement. Soon it was just Bella and Sue in the room.
Bella moved to the couch where Sue was seated and sat beside her, wrapping her in a hug. "Sue, I'm so incredibly sorry."
"Me too, Bella. Harry thought of you as a second daughter and he wanted to guide you through the transition from Vice President to President when the time came. But it wasn't meant to be."
"Is there anything you need help with?"
"No. Thankfully, the funeral was mostly planned, so I only had to make a few decisions there, and the staff has been working non-stop to get us all packed up. The kids are taking it hard, not knowing exactly where we're going."
"I made a suggestion and it seems to be approved, subject to you and the family approving. My residence will be vacant since I'm not immediately naming a Vice President. If you and the kids would like, it is available. Living there allows the kids the chance to finish their school year out here, then you can plan your next move. I wasn't sure if you were planning on moving back to South Dakota or remain close."
"I'm not sure myself. Leah begins college in the fall so I have to decide if I'm going to move us close to her in New York, or if Seth and I will return home. Leah was also worried about whether she would be taking agents with her to college."
Bella thought about it. "That is something you would need to discuss with the head of your detail. Traditionally, the answer is no, but I don't know if any special allowances will be made."
"I will discuss that with them. And thank you for the use of your former residence. With the speed at which we're being packed, I'm sure we'll be out of here in a day or two, they've already got the few things I'll need in the interim moved from our suites and upstairs with the kids. I'm sure they'll be redesigning the rooms for you at that time."
"Sue, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to be displaced."
Sue smiled sadly. "I used the room on occasion because of the hours of this job, so it isn't completely new to me, but I couldn't remain in that room. Just the memory of hearing him gasping for air and his inhaler not doing enough. I wouldn't be able to sleep in there."
"I understand. I'm sure my residence will be packed just as quickly. We can work on the transition with the staff assigned to them, and as soon as you're ready you can take up residence and make a home there for the time being."
"Thank you, Isabella. Having you beside me as we say goodbye to Harry will be a comfort."
"He'll be missed by all of us, and I promise to do everything I can to keep his legacy and his memory alive."
Sue dissolved into tears and Bella used the private moment to cry with her. When they both regained their composure, Bella made sure she didn't look worse for wear, then walked out into the hallway. Seth ran up and hugged Bella around the waist. At twelve, he was already tall, but still so much a child. Leah stood back watching the exchange. Bella whispered words to the young man and with a final squeeze she approached Leah.
"I've been through what you're experiencing. If you ever need to talk, you know how to get a hold of me."
Leah took in a stuttering breath before she whispered, "Thank you, Bella."
With that impossible task behind her, she returned to the Oval Office, surprised that there was still no sign of Edward. When she walked through the door, a man in a dress uniform stood in the center of her office, much to her astonishment.
"Madam President, I'm Captain Lee Stefan from the Army's Military District of Washington."
"Good afternoon, Captain Stefan. Was there something you needed from me?"
She watched as the tips of his ears turned pink and gestured to the sofas.
When they were both seated, he began. "I apologize. One of the many tasks we perform is the preparation of State Funerals for presidents."
"Oh, so you're here to go over the details of Former President Clearwater's funeral."
"Well, I have the agenda for it, but that wasn't the purpose of this meeting. I know it is not the best time, but considering the circumstances, we've been charged with getting something on the books as soon as possible."
"For what?" she asked.
"Your funeral."
Bella's head snapped up in his direction. "I'm sorry, my what?"
"We need a blueprint for what you wish for your funeral. It is seen as a final conversation with the nation from a fallen leader. Since you have no next of kin, it is all the more important for plans to be put in place as soon as possible."
"Do you have something you work off of, a template, or list of dos and don'ts I can begin with?" Bella asked, feeling panic rise inside her.
"Yes. All that is in this folder, along with —"
"Give it to me," she ordered.
"Ma'am?" Captain Stefan balked at her tone, surprised by the force of her anger.
"Give me the folder and leave. We will discuss this further at a later time."
"Ma'am, if I've offended you, I apologize. My orders were to —"
"I need time to go over this and I will not do so with an audience. Someone from my office will contact you when I'm ready to continue this discussion."
Samuel stepped forward, sensing the President's loss of control. "Captain Stefan, this way."
The young man stood and, with a salute that went unanswered, he exited the Oval Office.
Edward returned from his call on the secure line even more concerned. What they'd feared when he'd been pulled aside to conduct the investigation into the agents on the protective details had not been idle paranoia. There was hard evidence that those agents being compromised led to the death of the President. What was worse, one of those agents was now dead.
Waylon Jeffries had been relieved of duty thirty-six hours earlier, when the messages to his bookie had been discovered. His body had just been discovered in his home when Edward's team was going to bring him in for questioning.
Even worse, there was proof of foul play. This had been an assassination attempt. Now, they needed to know if it had contributed to his death at all.
Edward approached the area outside the Oval Office and noticed the commotion. Ms. Brandon was standing with both her briefcase and a suitcase in her hands as the agents spoke amongst themselves.
"What's going on? Where's Phoenix?"
"Inside, packing up some files. She's going to be working from home for the rest of the day," Samuel answered.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"We can discuss it in the car." The look on Samuel's face let him know they would discuss it when they were alone, likely for Bella's sake.
Within minutes, they were moving to the North Portico and on the road to her residence.
Once they were moving, Edward turned to Samuel. "What happened?"
"A representative from the Army's Military District of Washington was waiting for her when she returned from speaking with the former First Family."
"What was so upsetting about that?"
"He was there to help her plan her State Funeral."
Edward cursed under his breath. "Don't they have enough tact to know it is too soon?"
"Her predecessor was likely assassinated, from the scuttlebutt surrounding all these investigations into the various teams, and she doesn't have any family to make decisions if she were to die before plans are made. She kicked him out and took the file from him to review on her own."
"Fuck."
"Yeah, a pretty shitty situation all around. Especially since she's newly single."
"I'm not about to take shit from you too."
"I've been a part of her team since the beginning. I know you're my boss, but I will protect her from any threat. Yourself included."
"Which is exactly why you remained a part of her team."
When they arrived, Bella barely waited for the team to be in place before she and Alice were out of the vehicle and walking inside. The house was once again full of activity and she weaved through the agents stacking her boxes in the now empty living room. Edward followed behind her, but her footsteps were quick as she and Alice moved towards her office.
"Madam President." His call was met with silence.
He reached her just as she wrenched open the office door and ushered Alice inside.
"Isabella," he whispered urgently.
She spun to meet his eyes, filled with fire and pain, and slammed the door in his face.