Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I. Emily

It took nearly three weeks until Aaron and Emily were finally able to set up dinner with Nadia, most of the delay being due to the fact that the President would be leaving D.C. to visit several cities in California and Texas in a couple of weeks, leaving all the preparations to them, and also partly due to Aaron's old-fashioned insistence that they needed at least a few romantic date nights on their own before bringing in a relative. The memory made Emily laugh, but at the same time it was endearing. After initially learning to know him as a cynic she now felt like the more practical one in their relationship.

The one thing that wouldn't leave her alone was the realization that he was still refusing to talk about what had led to his resignation and the failure of their first attempt at being something more than merely co-workers and friends. Later, he'd always say when she made even the most subtle attempt to bring it up. She was scared Aaron was bottling up his feelings, but most of the time she was too busy enjoying his undivided attention and affection to be too concerned. Emily had always been a control freak, but Aaron had a way of convincing her that things were under control and everything would turn out fine. In other words, the most dangerous kind of man, especially for a woman like her.

She chose a simple black dress to wear for the dinner and even had time to enjoy a glass of white wine before he knocked on her door.

"You did as I asked," she noted, smiling at his untamed curls.

"Only for tonight," he replied, pulling her into his arms. 

"We'll see about that," she murmured. 

"Nadia's coming straight from work, so we're going to meet her at the restaurant."

"The Congresswoman must be a tough cookie if she makes Nadia work longer hours than we do."

He laughed.

"Mae's tough for sure."

Emily couldn't resist rolling her eyes. She was aware that Aaron and Mae Yoshida were old colleagues, but sometimes she wondered if there had been more to it.

"Is she your old girlfriend?" she asked on impulse. 

"What? No way," he answered with a laugh, shaking his heard.

"What do you mean no way? You worked together closely, obviously like each other and she's very attractive."

"I'm surprised you didn't do your homework better than this. When we worked together, Mae was in a relationship. With a great woman serving in the Air Force. She's more likely to want to date you than me."

Now it was her turn to laugh, mostly in embarrassment. Surely she should've known that.

"She hasn't been all that vocal about it though, so I guess it may actually be a good thing you didn't know. When you take on a public office like that, it seems that your entire life becomes public property, too. It's understandable in some ways, but I can't stand it."

"Yeah. Is that why you've always liked working in the sidelines instead of running for Congress or something?"

"It's one of the biggest reasons for me for sure. I'm guessing yours is more related to politics in general."

She nodded.

"Yep. Working for someone holding a political office is about as political as I can stand it."

"You'd do well as a Congresswoman though."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely. Well, I'm sure I could still teach you a few things, but some of them are far less qualified than you."

She smirked.

"Maybe I'll have to try it at some point."

***

"Hey! Good to see you!" Exclaimed Nadia, pulling her into a hug after embracing Aaron. It was a little intimate for Emily's taste, considering that they'd only met briefly a couple of times before, but the younger woman was so earnest and nice that she found herself not really minding the gesture. 

"Great to meet you again. You still loving your job?" she asked, taking the seat Aaron had pulled out for her.

"Definitely! Sometimes I barely notice I've worked a 12-hour day."

Emily chuckled.

"I'm starting to see some family resemblance here," she said, glancing at Aaron.

"He's been a workaholic for the last ten years."

"That is not true!" he argued.

"Ummm, yes it is! Remember when you cancelled a Christmas visit because you weren't done with some bill?"

"It was important and I had a deadline."

"And you never take vacations. Emily, drag him away from this city at some point for a while, for his own sake," pleaded Nadia.

"I'll do my best." Nadia may have been only half-serious, but a few days alone with Aaron somewhere did sound like a heavenly idea. Maybe at some point...

Halfway through dinner Emily excused herself. As she was washing her hands at the sink, Nadia suddenly peered inside, smiling when she spotted her.

"Hey, Emily. Look, I know this is really awkward, but there's something I need to tell Aaron and I think you should be aware of it before I do that."

She frowned.

"What is it?"

"I've been seeing Seth."

"Our Seth?"

"Yeah," answered Nadia, shooting her a nervous smile.

"But that's... Great, actually." It was. And now Seth's secretive and jittery behavior around them lately made perfect sense. She actually felt a little sorry for him. 

"We've only been out a few times, but I like him. And he likes me, and he hates having to keep this from Aaron. So I'm going to tell him. He's not going to like it, and I hope you can try to... I don't know, maybe try to reason with him or something. I know what he's like, but he clearly values your opinions."

"I'll do what I can."

"Thank you. The last thing Seth and I want is to cause trouble between you and Aaron, so you don't have to die on this hill for us or anything like that."

"I know how to pick my battles," she replied, giving the other woman a reassuring smile.

Soon after their return to the table, Nadia took a deep breath and turned to her cousin.

"Aaron, I'm going to tell you something, but please promise me you'll let me finish before freaking out."

"I can't make a promise like that without knowing what you're going to tell me."

"It's nothing bad, I swear. To be honest, it's not even really your business, but he says he won't go out with me anymore unless I come clean-"

"Whoa? Who's he?"

"The guy I'm seeing. Seth."

Aaron's eyes narrowed dangerously at Nadia's words.

"You're telling me that you're dating Seth Wright?"

"You aren't usually this thick, Aaron," replied Nadia.

"I just... I can't believe this. I can't believe I'm only finding out about this now!"

"Who I date is none of your business!"

"It is my business when you're dating my colleague and friend who happens to be like what, 13 or 14 years older than you?"

"She's an adult, Aaron," Emily told him calmly, placing a hand on his arm.

"Listen to your girlfriend. I'm going to go home now, and I fully expect you not to give Seth a hard time tomorrow," said Nadia, picking up her bag.

"Nadia, we're not finished here!"

"Yeah, we are!" She replied, finishing with something in Spanish that Emily didn't understand, but guessed it must've been an insult of some variety.

Aaron cursed under his breath.

"This is insane," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

"Well, yeah, I guess, if you consider our relationship insane."

"False equivalency, Emily."

"I disagree. We're polar opposites in many ways, and on top of that we work closely together in the White House. Many people would find us dating a crazy idea, and some probably do. Come on, what's so bad about Nadia and Seth? And don't give me that crap about the age difference. Nadia's not some little girl, she can hold her own, she grew up with you after all."

He smiled a little at her statement.

"I know she can. Still, the whole idea's weird. Maybe because I really didn't see it coming, and I usually pride myself in that."

"You should apologize to your cousin."

He sighed.

"Yeah, I'll call her in the morning. How about we finish up here, get the check and head home? "

"Sounds good. I think I could use a bath."

"I like the way you think." 

 II. Aaron

Patching things up with his cousin wasn't difficult, but talking to Seth had become exceedingly uncomfortable for Aaron since finding out he was dating Nadia. They tended to stick to nothing but business these days, and it suited him fine. Emily had repeatedly told him that he was being a stubborn idiot, but for now this was how things were going to be. He had no desire to know any details on Seth and Nadia, but he wasn't going to actively stand in their way or call her parents and brother and tell them what was going on. Both he and Nadia knew they wouldn't approve. The age difference was one thing, but Seth's religion would be an even bigger issue for them. It was a battle best left for the future, and he'd already promised her he'd have her back if it came to that.

 Both he and Emily got their first taste of traveling on Air Force One, as Kirkman made the decision to bring them both along for his tour of California and Texas. The trip itself went well enough, but the Texas visits left a nagging feeling in Aaron's mind. His home state was the biggest red state in the country, and Kirkman's approval numbers amongst the likely voters there weren't as stellar as he would've liked. When he told Emily that one night before turning off the lights in her bedroom, she told him that he should change the playing field, as he'd once told her he wished to do. As she slept calmly in the crook of his arm, he lay awake, thinking about her words. By 4 AM he'd devised a plan. Emily was a genius and he was going to kiss her the second she woke up, morning breath be damned.

"What did you want to discuss, Aaron?" inquired Kirkman.

"Texas, Sir. Now that we've got the country up and running again, we need to start thinking about the next Presidential Election."

"It seems awfully early."

"Not really, Sir. As President, you have the perfect opportunity to start preparing earlier than regular candidates."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I know it's ambitious, but I want to see you win in Texas, and I think it can be done."

"How? It's the biggest red state in the country."

"True, but research shows that the young people there are very liberal. The problem- or should I say the challenge- is that they aren't registered and even if they are, they don't get out to vote. Probably partly because they believe the state will always stay red no matter what they do. They need to be activated. Show them they matter, that you care about them, that it's really worth getting out to the polls."

"I can't focus on just one state."

"No, you can't. But you can send in a spokesperson who can. Not to campaign for them to vote for you, but to increase their willingness to vote in general."

"You want to do this personally."

"I do, Sir, but if there's someone else-"

"No, Aaron, there isn't. This sounds like a good job for you. Draw up some more concrete plans, and we'll go over them and arrange your trip."

"Thank you, Sir."

***

The first trip was only to get things off the ground and meet with some people whose help would be needed later. He'd be back more frequently when the elections were closer. Even so, he'd be gone for two weeks, and was already missing Emily. 

"I'll call you when I get to the hotel," he promised her, as she eyed his luggage in her office.

Emily nodded. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and he wasn't sure if he should even try to hug her goodbye. They'd been together for nearly two months by then, but sometimes he still had a hard time knowing what she was thinking, or how she really felt about him. As far as he knew, none of her family had any idea they were dating. She came from an affluent Connecticut family, and a part of him wasn't sure what her parents would think about him. It could be why she didn't want them to know. She'd brushed off his questions with a casual "We're not that close anyway," but he didn't believe her. She talked to her mom at least once a week, and almost every night he spent with her, one of her sisters would call.

"Well, I need to get to the airport," he said, stalling at the door.

"Right. Chloe's going to miss you," she replied with a half smile.

"And she's the only one?" he asked.

"She's a cat, and I'm a grown woman."

"So you're saying you're not going to miss me?"

"I didn't say that. I'm saying that I'll live."

He took up on the opportunity to hold her for one last time when she let her arms drop to her sides, and she didn't push him away.

"Stay safe," she sighed softly, her arms looping around his neck. 

"I will."

The days ticked by annoyingly slowly when he didn't have a meeting to attend. Visiting his parents hadn't been a part of the original plan, but when he had the extra time, he rented a car and drove home. His mom was ecstatic to see him, as usual. Sometimes her excitement made him feel guilty about visiting so infrequently, but his hometown was just as depressing today as it had been when he'd first left for college. He'd wanted to get into politics to help people like his family and their neighbors, but things were only marginally better. He hadn't lost hope, but he didn't particularly enjoy the reminders either. They weren't needed in order for him to remember that there was still a lot of work to be done.

As he sat at the table with his parents, he couldn't resist pulling out his phone and showing them a photo of Emily. His mother smiled, tracing her delicate features on the screen.

"She's beautiful, Aaron. When are we going to meet her?"

"I don't know. It could be a while."

"I'm so glad you're not alone anymore. I've always worried about you, all by yourself in that big, cruel city."

"I've done well so far."

"You have, and we're all very proud of you. I only wish you'd trust us enough to tell us why you left the White House in the first place."

He shook his head, smiling. Everyone in the family, starting from Nadia, had tried to pry the truth out of him, but he wasn't going to tell them that he'd been suspected of treason. They were proud of him and he wanted to keep it that way.

"It's better if I don't."

"Surely the truth can't be that bad, son," said his dad.

"It's politics, Dad. Better left in D.C."

"Fine, but at the very least you will have to bring that girlfriend of yours here soon."

"I'll do my best." 

***

"So, am I going to see you at the airport?" He asked her, waiting for his gate to open at Houston airport.

"No. I'm sorry, but Kirkman needs me to stay late tonight and work on the new health care bill."

"Okay. I'll just go home then, and see you at work tomorrow morning," he replied, hoping she couldn't hear the disappointment in his voice. 

"Do you still have my key?"

"Of course."

"You could go to my place then, and I'll be there when I can."

He grinned to himself. Having her slip into bed next to him in the middle of the night was some consolation.

"I'll be waiting."

Chapter Text

III. Emily

Emily couldn't wait to see the look on Aaron's face when he stepped into the arrivals area and realized she'd tricked him. It was a little mean to lie to him like that, but she enjoyed the idea of surprising him. She'd actually left work a bit earlier than usual, and now they'd have the entire night to themselves. 

She fidgeted, stealing glances at her phone to keep track of the time. His plane had landed 24 minutes ago, so he should be out soon. She paid no attention to any of the arriving passengers, only trying to spot the familiar head of dark, slicked-back hair reaching higher than most of the others.

In the end, he didn't see her the moment he came through the doors, as he was staring at his phone, so she walked up to him, stopping right in front of him, nearly bumping into him.

"Hey, you," she said, returning his surprised smile. Yes, this was definitely worth one small white lie.

"I'm not entirely sure who you are, as my girlfriend claimed that she'd be working late tonight and wouldn't be able to meet me here," he teased, shoving his phone into his pocket.

"She may have wanted to surprise you," she answered, closing her eyes as his arms wrapped around her. 

"I'm glad she did," he sighed, burying his face in her hair.

"I'm glad you're home," she said.

"Me too. I missed you."

She said nothing, but instead caved in before he did, crushing her lips to his, not caring that they were in a public place. 

***

"Do you think it's odd that Kirkman still hasn't chosen a VP?" he asked a few days later, sitting down on the other side of her desk.

"Yeah, a little. We gave him those names weeks ago-"

She was interrupted by Seth barging into her office without knocking, which never happened these days. The poor guy had caught her and Aaron a few times and insisted he was now scarred for life.

"Guys, we have a situation. Or we're about to have one, to be more exact," he said, speaking faster than usual.

"What is it?" asked Aaron.

"Take a look at these, they should be pretty self-explanatory. I got them from Lisa," he sighed, throwing a stack of somewhat grainy photographs on the desk.

Emily nearly spat out her coffee when she recognized herself and Aaron. Someone had seen them at the airport after his trip, and the photos showed them embracing and kissing. There was no way they'd be able to back out of this one. She chanced a glance at Aaron, who caught her looking at him and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"How long can you hold this off?" he asked, turning to look at Seth.

"Lisa promised not to go public with this until tomorrow, and I'm not sure she'll agree to postpone it any more than that. The news has been slow lately."

"Obviously," she muttered, anger rising in her gut. Why did anyone care about their personal lives anyway?

"Do you know what the narrative's going to be, Seth? I mean, it's got to be the slowest news day ever if they're simply going to publish a gossip piece on our relationship," insisted Aaron.

Seth grimaced.

"Yeah, about that... Um, they're going with the angle that you may have been hired back here just because you're with Emily."

"You have got to be kidding me!" she shrieked, crossing her arms across her chest. God. As if she'd needed another reason to dislike that woman.

"I know. Have you told Kirkman yet? He may get some questions about it after tomorrow, and it's probably better that he hears it from you than from the press."

Emily shook her head.

"No, we haven't told him yet."

"We'll do it today," promised Aaron.

"Good. I'll talk to him after that, and we can draw up a statement. Lighten up, Emily, this isn't the end of the world." No, not the end of the world, but she'd kind of liked being with Aaron with just a few people knowing. She hadn't even told her family, and now they'd find out from the damned press unless she called them within the next few hours. More than one man had been turned off by her parents, and she kind of understood why. It wasn't that they weren't nice, they were just demanding. Very demanding and specific. They'd question more than one thing about Aaron and his upbringing. She remembered the look on her older sister's face when her long-time boyfriend had broken up with her, telling her that he couldn't share his life with a woman whose entire family (save for her sisters) shunned him. Their dad had insisted that he was simply the wrong choice for his daughter. Not rich enough. Not from a good family.  Oh, God, she she needed a drink.

"Hey. It's going to be okay, they'll forget about all about us within days," he told her, trying to slip an arm around her shoulders, but she moved away. He had no idea what he was talking about.

"I hate the thought of our relationship being in the public eye." This wasn't the right time to tell him what to expect from her parents.

"I don't like it either, but I can take it."

Maybe he could take this, but would he still feel that way when her parents and their extended family refused to even speak to him at family gatherings?

Kirkman took the news well enough, although he seemed a little surprised. It was never his reaction she's been worried about, but it made her feel marginally better to know that they had him in their corner. Not that he really knew her parents either, he'd only met them a couple of times in passing at parties a few years back.

"You shouldn't come over tonight. I need to talk to my family about this, and I'd like to be alone when I do it," she told him. 

He looked so sad that she wanted to tell him that it wasn't about him. Or well, it was, but that he hadn't done anything wrong. 

"All right. See you tomorrow."

***

The next morning arrived way too soon, as she'd barely gotten any sleep, staring at Aaron's side of the bed, the sight of it cold and empty making her sad. Her parents had taken the news well, but that was to be expected at this point when they knew barely anything about Aaron, except that he wasn't related to any of their acquaintances. It was the calm before the storm.

At work, Seth showed her the article, and although the angle they'd chosen was ridiculous and would be strongly countered by Kirkman's statement, it wasn't as bad as she'd feared. Just a half-page thing, with a grainy photo of them taking up half of the space. 

"Are you feeling better today?" asked Aaron, offering her a cup of coffee.

"Yeah. I told my parents."

"And?"

"They want to meet you."

He frowned.

"You're saying this as if it's a bad thing. Do they use their daughters' boyfriends in their Satanic rituals or what?" he joked.

"Not exactly, but they're difficult."

"So's my mom."

"I'm pretty sure we're not talking about the same level of 'difficult'  here."

"So tell me what we're dealing with here, Emily, as I have no idea."

"They're very specific. If you don't fill their criteria, they'll make your life a living hell in any way they can. They won't talk to you at parties. They might call your parents. They might even call your boss."

He released a disbelieving laugh.

"I thought you said they were family lawyers."

"They are."

"That sounds..."

"Insane."

"Your words, not mine. Do you care about what they have to say? I mean, does it matter to you if they don't like me?"

It was a tough question to answer. She wanted them to like him, but there was no way she'd break up with him because of their opinion. She was 31 years old and could very well make decisions on her own. It wasn't as if she even met them that often.

"No," she simply said.

"Are you sure?"

"You're dating me, not them."

"Does that mean I can come over and get used as a bed by your cat again tonight?" he asked, his tone back to light and teasing.

"I have to ask her if that's okay, but I may also have other uses for you."

"Really? Tell me more."

IV. Aaron

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked, entering Seth's office. 

The look on Seth's face was pitying, making Aaron immediately nervous. 

"Abe Leonard's about to publish an article on your resignation. I don't know how he found out, but he's got a lot of details. He asked for my comment, but it's not like I even know what the truth is, so I asked him to wait. He refused, and the article's going to be in tomorrow's paper."

So the time for reckoning had come. This had been his biggest work-related fear since coming back, and now it was coming true. There was no way he was going to be able to finish his Texas project, or defend the President in public anymore. This whole house of cards was crumbling down, and there was no stopping it. As if knowing Emily's parents would be visiting over the Labour Day weekend wasn't enough. No matter what she claimed, their entire relationship could be in jeopardy. He seemed to be going from one disaster to another, as it had only been a month since their relationship had become common knowledge. That news had died down soon, exactly as they'd predicted, but this was different. This was serious.

"New York Standard, right?" he asked, trying to temper his panic.

"Yeah. Listen, Aaron. I know things haven't been great with us lately, but I need you to tell me what happened, so that I can fix this."

He nodded.

"I understand."

Telling Seth ended up being easier than he'd imagined it'd be. For the most part he showed little reaction and just listened. As much as he hated admitting it, he'd been wrong to judge Seth's involvement with Nadia right off the bat. 

"And then I knew it was time to leave," he finally concluded.

"Wow. Okay. I've got to think about this for a while, but I'll let you and POTUS know what I think we need to do."

"You really think there's a way to salvage this?"

"Of course. I couldn't forgive myself if there wasn't."

"You're good at what you do, Seth, but I think this may be out of your league. This is why I left in the first place."

"I know, but you're back now and I'm not going to let you leave again. You just have to trust me, in a way you clearly didn't trust anyone all those months ago."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you then, but it really was to protect you. And you're wrong, by the way, I did know that you'd have had my back until the end if I hadn't resigned."

"I would've."

"And for what it's worth, I'm sorry about the whole thing with you and Nadia. Sometimes my temper gets the best of me. You're a good guy, Seth, and I wish you both the best. If you can forgive me, I hope we can be friends again."

Seth smiled.

"Consider yourself forgiven. I appreciate the apology, and I'm sure Nadia does, too. Let's get this thing taken care of, and maybe the four of us can do something together after work sometime? Nadia would like that."

Aaron chuckled.

"Don't push your luck."

*** 

"So, I've got a statement from the President, as well as from the FBI, stating your innocence. Hookstraten's coming up with a statement of her own, and so are some House representatives who know you well. You have a lot of public support, Aaron. I'll go out there and answer the questions."

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"You shouldn't have to defend me. I'm the one in this mess, not you. I'll speak for myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Aaron, don't do this," warned Emily.

"I don't want to hide, it makes me look guilty."

"Seth, please talk some sense into him!" she pleaded.

"You know, Aaron may have a point here, Emily. He's innocent, and if he can handle the questions, this might be exactly what's needed to silence the rumors. He's done well in public so far."

For the first time in years, Aaron felt shaky as he waited for Seth to finish on the podium. This was the only chance he'd get to fix this mess, and he couldn't afford to fail.

"Official statements on this issue from the President as well as the FBI are being distributed as we speak. There will be additional statements from Secretary Hookstraten as well as some members of the House, but they will be released by other parties. Mr. Shore will take your questions now."

That was his cue. 

"Good luck," whispered Emily, her lips meeting his cheek for a half of a second.

He nodded, straightening his tie.

***

The questions were endless, or that was at least what it felt like to him, and each one of them was worse than the one before. Had he really never suspected his boss of any wrongdoing?  How was it possible he'd never seen the blueprints but had still managed to pull them from the generals? Did he hold a grudge on the FBI or the President for having to resign?  How well did he know Jay Whitaker? It was almost like a second interrogation, except that this time it was public and even worse than the first one.

"Mr. Shore, are you planning on resigning again?"

"I serve at the pleasure of the President. I will step aside if he wants me to, but at this time I have not been asked to do that."

V. Emily

Emily followed his purgatory from the sidelines, her anger growing after each question. He shouldn't be there, or she should at least be there with him. He answered all the questions in a confident manner, but she could tell from the tense set of his shoulders that every single minute up there drained him of energy and faith. Once it was finally over, he disappeared so fast that she got no chance to comfort him. Eventually she found him slouched in a folding chair, with his head buried in his hands, in one of the empty rooms near the press briefing room.

"Hi," she said, taking the seat next to him.

"Hey," he replied, making a feeble attempt at a small smile.

"I know what you just did wasn't easy... But you did great. There's no story there."

"No, there isn't, but I'm just... I didn't particularly enjoy recounting the most embarrassing moments of my life to a horde of blood-thirsty reporters."

"I know, but at least it's over now."

"If it is. I haven't talked to Seth yet."

"It's going to be okay. You tell me that all the time, so this time let me be the one to talk you off the ledge."

This time the smile he flashed her was genuine.

"Please tell me you aren't thinking about doing anything stupid and self-sacrificing like resigning again."

He shook his head.

"I'm not, I swear. I guess I'm not used to dealing with problems in this way."

"By facing them?"

"By reacting instead of planning ahead."

She nodded.

"I understand that. And I'd guess that usually you haven't been the problem either."

"That would be correct. I really hope this is the last time I'm ever on that side."

"I'm sure the statements from the President and the FBI will make things die down sooner."

"Let's hope so."

As she was about to suggest to him that they call it a day, he suddenly spoke again.

"I was so confused when they started interrogating me. At first I thought it had something to do with Langdon, but then I found it was me they'd been after the whole time."

She didn't dare say anything, since he was finally opening up to her. This was the chance to clear the air she'd been hoping to get.

"I've dedicated my entire career to serving this country, on making it a better place. You have no idea what it feels like to be suspected of treason all of a sudden."

"No, I don't."

"I get that the Feds were only doing their job, but it hurt to be doubted by people I personally knew and trusted and thought they trusted me."

"Aaron... I know this is the worst explanation ever, but we didn't doubt you. Not me, and not Kirkman."

"Actions speak louder than words, Emily. You pushed me away and neither one of you gave me a chance to explain myself. You didn't stop to think that there may have been a good reason I pulled the files."

"We thought Langdon was dead! If we'd known he was alive, it would've been a different story."

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be without it happening. I understand that what happened was very hurtful to you, but you're being unfair here. The evidence was pretty damning."

"I know. Yet I wonder if you or Kirkman would still deem me worthy of the benefit of the doubt."

"What would we have to do to prove that?"

He shrugged."I don't even know myself. All I know is that there's this nagging voice in my head that keeps telling me that I'm the black sheep of the so-called Inner Circle."

"That's not true at all. I trust you more than anyone else in this building. And I'm sorry for what happened to you. I know you thought you were all alone then, but I promise it's not like that anymore. I'm right here beside you, and I promise I'm not going anywhere."

"Would you feel that way if you hadn't read my files? Wait, no, don't answer that," he finished, standing up.

"I'm going home. It's probably for the best that I don't stay at your place tonight, I'm not exactly great company right now."

She nodded, hoping he couldn't see her heart sinking. He needed space and she'd have to grant it to him, while at the same time hoping that he wouldn't change his mind about her, that he'd still want her.

VI. Aaron

Logging onto Twitter that night was probably a bad idea, but Aaron had to know. Scrolling through his mentions made him feel worse with every tweet he read. Sure, some believed in his innocence and had sent out messages of support, but mostly they were about him being a crook and a conman and betraying the President.

Over the course of the next few hours, he opened one beer after another, his mood continuing to darken with each one. The thoughts running through his mind were mostly the same ones as back when he'd come home after resigning, but some were worse. Thanks to his public affiliation with Emily, he was dragging her reputation into the mud with him. It'd be the best for everyone if he disappeared and was never heard from again. The only issue with that idea was that he didn't want to leave D.C., most of all he didn't want to leave Emily. He guessed he'd always be a bit of a loner, but he'd never been this happy in a relationship before, and he could see them having a future together. That was if she didn't kick him out for ruining her career as well. Or for the fact that there was no way he'd be able to get into her parents' good graces now.  

He had five missed calls from Nadia, three from his mom and two from Seth. There were also five voicemails, three texts from Nadia and one from Kimble. 

What's going on?!

Are you okay?

Call me!!!!

I now understand why you refused to tell me the details of your departure from the White House. Hopefully my statement was helpful. Call me. - Kimble

Although he'd made it clear enough to Emily that he wanted to be left alone, he still felt a pang of disappointment that she hadn't tried to reach him at all. Not for the first time, he found himself wondering if her feelings for him were as strong as his for her. He'd have to be careful with her, not tell her too much, not give her too much if she wasn't going to reciprocate. The more casual, the better. But was that even a possibility anymore? Chances were he'd already made a fool out of himself in front of her, so what harm would showing up at her place late at night do?

VII. Emily

The knock at her door at 3:20 AM startled Emily, but she got out of bed and peered outside through the peephole. Aaron was leaning against the doorjamb.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, irritated at him scaring her in the middle of the night like that.

"Can I come in?" he asked, his words slurred.

"I guess. Please don't tell me you drove here yourself."

"Nope, took a cab."

"Good."

She shut the door after him, watching him throw his suit jacket unceremoniously on the back of her couch.

"Again: what possessed you to wake me at this hour?" she hissed.

He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I can't stay away from you."

"You've been drinking all night."

"And done some thinking on the side."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"And what exactly did you determine?"

"You said I wasn't alone anymore. I don't want to be alone anymore."

"What about the investigation?"

His hands slowly crept over to her front, to the knot of the sash keeping her robe tied.

"I wouldn't give this up for anything. I-"

"You what?"

"Nevermind. I need you so much. And not just tonight."

He was being unsually candid about his feelings, probably thanks to the alcohol, but she didn't believe that was what he'd intended to say. Her heart sped up at the thought of the words that had almost slipped out of his mouth. Emily would've gotten stuck on it if his lips hadn't found her neck, making every single coherent thought leave her head, as usual. She needed him, too. Way too much. More than she'd ever needed or wanted any man before.

She let him pull on the knot and push the robe off her shoulders, while her own fingers made quick work with the buttons of his shirt. The garment in question was soon on the floor, joined by her robe and his pants. Despite his inebriated state, he picked her up easily and headed for the bedroom.