Here we are again! I'm taking a bresk from researching the chapter I'm working to post this, so I'm deep in the world of this fic tonight. Pic teases and general information on my writing is available in my FB group, AgoodWITCH Writes. We're moving right along here. It has been a tense 48 hours for our Madam President, but things will only continue to pick up from here. Love as always to Team AGW and to you, my readers for following, favoriting, and reviewing.
Chapter 5
Alice stood back in shock as she watched the display at the office door. "Bella, what's wrong? This isn't like you."
"I needed to get out of there. There was too much to reconcile, not as I stood in the Oval Office while it happened. I couldn't."
"All right. Let's start at the top. What is with the cold shoulder with Edward? I would think you would be leaning on your boyfriend more now than ever."
"He isn't my boyfriend anymore. He chose the job over us."
"I can't believe that. He loves you."
"Does he?" Isabella spun on her friend and Chief of Staff. "Because he never once said the words. He holds back. And now he'd rather be the man to keep me safe than the one who makes me feel safe." Bella moved to sit behind her desk, picking up her briefcase from where she'd dropped it on the floor along the way. It only took a minute to pull out the thick folder and slam it on the desk. "Do you know what that is?"
"No," Alice answered honestly.
"It is the planning folder for my State Funeral. Captain Stefan said it was imperative to do this immediately because I have no next of kin. My parents are both dead, my fiancé was killed in action, and my boyfriend dumped me. I have no siblings, no living extended family, so if I'm killed, the government would have no idea what to do with my body."
"Shit. I knew someone was coming to speak with you, but they were supposed to wait for me, so I could brief you," Alice confided.
"I thought it was a meeting to discuss Harry's proceedings, not my own demise."
"And after meeting with Sue, I'm sure that was hard."
"It was incredibly difficult."
A knock on the door interrupted them both. Alice stood and opened the door, her foot stopping it from opening more than a few inches. When she saw the person on the other side, she moved to let Athenodora in.
"Ma'am, the chef wanted to know if you had any preference for dinner. And after that, I wanted to go over our progress and set up some things for the coming days."
"What I really want is one of those barbeque bacon cheeseburgers he makes and some well done fries."
Alice smiled in appreciation. "That sounds delicious. Ask him to make me the same, and then come back inside so we can go over everything."
"Will do. Would you like your bag brought up to one of the guest rooms? I can take care of that before I return."
"Yes, Teeny," Bella answered.
Her personal aide nodded, knowing the use of her nickname meant this would be an informal discussion once dinner was done. "One last thing. Agent Masen insists on speaking with you. He said it was urgent and private in nature. Should I let him in when I leave?"
Alice answered before Bella could. "Why don't I take my bag upstairs? That'll give him a moment to brief Isabella on whatever he needs to speak to her about, and we can take our time with the rest. Unless you don't want to."
"It's fine." Bella began to lay out the information given to her by Captain Stefan as both women left.
The door opened again and Bella watched as Edward entered, locking the door before he stood at attention in front of her desk.
"Ma'am —"
Bella cut him off before a second word could leave his mouth."Is this a professional or personal matter?"
"Both," he responded.
"Are you beginning with the professional?"
"Yes."
"Then continue."
"I have an update on Harry. We are waiting on the tox panel to confirm it, but from what Sue told the agents and the doctors in the White House Medical Center, we believe his death wasn't simply an asthma attack. His inhaler was tampered with."
"Was it empty when it should have had medication, or was there something harmful in the canister?"
"Ricin. He inhaled it into his system. Since it was such a large amount while he was already struggling due to his asthma … we're waiting to find out if it was the true cause, or simply a contributing factor."
"And you said two agents were pulled from his detail because they were compromised?"
"Yes. One is now in custody, being questioned on his involvement. The other is dead."
"Dead?"
"Self-inflicted gunshot wound. He wrote a confession which the FBI is now going through. The FBI has already done an extensive search of the residence. and they received everything I had presented to Fitzwilliam."
"So now they're investigating the second agent?"
"Yes. They believe Alec Wentworth was working with Waylon Jeffries, the man who confessed in his suicide letter."
"Should I know this?"
"I'm sure someone from the FBI will come to speak with you, but they're a noticeable absence."
"Could I be a suspect?"
"Doubtful. The way things are looking, this came from someone looking to remove an opponent. Harry was popular and with his first term more than halfway over, the reelection campaign was starting to intensify."
"I'm aware. Was there anything else we needed to discuss pertaining to work?" Bella asked.
"No, that was all," Edward replied.
"Good." Bella looked at the documents in front of her before she spoke. "Do you think the riderless horse with the boots backwards in the saddle is a bit much? Or is it traditional enough to make it appropriate?"
"Bella," he pleaded.
"I have a funeral to plan, Edward. And since I'm alone, I need to make sure every t is crossed and i dotted."
"Do you want me to resign? Go back to the field office and sit behind a desk so we can be together?"
Bella met his eyes, the fire in hers matching his. "What I want doesn't matter. You made that decision. Quite easily, in fact. It took half a flight from DC to Italy for you to choose your career over me."
"I chose keeping you alive."
"There are hundreds of other men who could have done that. Are you going to shove every other agent out of the way so you can get a new set of injuries from shielding me with your body like you did overseas? Or put a bullet in whoever tries to take me out all alone? Your hero complex cost me the only good thing in my life."
"It is costing me the woman I love," he confessed.
"Don't say things you don't mean," she warned.
"I'm not. I'm telling you something I should have said months ago, but I was afraid of moving too fast. Now we've run out of time."
"Talk to Fitzwilliam. There has to be some way. You can't tell me there has never been a relationship between a protectee and the agent assigned to them."
"Not when the stakes were this high."
"Find a way, Edward. You're always been an intelligent man. I'm sure there's some loophole you could find."
A knock brought them both out of the moment. "I'm sure that's Alice, back from her room."
"You should know that sound by now. That was Donut, banging his head on the door to be let in."
Edward moved to the door and sure enough, Donut ran in as soon as the door was cracked. "I'll be outside if you need anything."
"Thank you for your assistance, Agent Masen."
The women returned to the office. Between the three of them, they went through the multitude of options for the State Funeral. There were still details to be hammered out, such as where she would be laid to rest if she hadn't begun work on her presidential library, but she had a solid plan to give to the Captain when he visited her again.
From there, they enjoyed their dinner and retired to the residence upstairs to go over other details. Athenodora began with the first item on her agenda, the residence within the White House.
"I contacted Virna Lawrence and she is flying out from Seattle tonight. With the help of the staff, I was able to get her dimensions for the rooms so she can calculate materials, and she promised to have some design ideas when she meets with you tomorrow. I thought it best to go with her, since she oversaw the changes to the Governor's mansion in Washington and the residence here."
"That's fine. I'm sure she'll come up with something beautiful."
"Next, the official move. The trucks will be loaded up in the afternoon of the fourth day of the State Funeral. All belongings will be moved, save a few things that will be packed and moved the morning of the twenty-fourth so they will be in the residence when you arrive. It was suggested that you stay in the Lincoln Bedroom until yours is ready. Once the funeral is completed, the former First Family board the plane to attend the private interment. From there, they'll be returning to DC from what I understand."
"Yes. That was what Sue told me. It will give the kids the chance to finish out their school year. They can plan their next move later."
"Very good. I think all of that will work. But there is one more thing I need to handle tonight, Teeny."
"Yes, Bella?" Athenodora asked.
"Would you cut my hair? It is getting too long and I don't want to be relegated to buns and ponytails this summer."
"Just above your shoulders, like last time?"
"Exactly."
"I thought someone liked your hair long?" Alice asked.
"Well, you don't always get what you want. And I'm doing this for me."
"Good. We're going to have a long week ahead of us. I already have a few people scheduling appointments with me, so we may see some exits in the next few days. But it will all work out."
"I'm sure it will, but for tonight, I just want to shut out the world and not think about tomorrow until it dawns."
Athenodora returned with her scissors and comb in hand. "Let's move to the bathroom and see if I'm as good as I used to be."
"It hasn't been that long since my last cut, just don't give me a bob."
"Never."
As the first strands fell to the floor, Bella closed her eyes and thought of all she'd lost in the last few days, and a lone tear tracked down her cheek.