Work Text:
It's dark when she wakes up. The sounds of protesters outside of the White House have long disappeared. Maybe they ran out of things to say.
Doubtful. She thinks.
Claire sits up in her bed and looks out of habit to the empty space next to her on the bed she sleeps on.
At one point, there was a body occupying that space.
And at one point, there was love in this house.
Not anymore.
When Claire Underwood had recruited LeAnn to work with her, she had jumped in with little to no hesitation. But back then, she knew next to nothing about the woman and her husband. That lack of knowledge would end up getting her killed.
Their affair hadn't started quickly; it took its time.
LeAnn didn't think of Claire as anything more than her boss at first, but the more time she spent around the woman, the more interested she became.
There was a time when she had walked in on Claire alone in the White House kitchen, a glass of wine in her hand --not her first glass of the night-- and Claire had confessed some interesting things to her.
"Sorry, ma'am, I thought you would be in bed by now." LeAnn grew nervous very quickly, knowing that she shouldn't be where she is at this time of night. "I only came by to drop off some papers that you asked for."
"And that couldn't have waited until morning?" Claire didn't seem angry or upset. Her tone sounded more curious than anything. But she wouldn't look at LeAnn, she only continued to stare out the window she had been looking out of when LeAnn had discovered her.
"I suppose it could've." LeAnn shuffled anxiously, now regretting the decision she made to come to this part of the White House so late at night.
"Well what is it then?" Claire lifted the edge of her glass to her lips and took a long sip of the dark liquid it contained.
LeAnn catches herself watching the glass as it presses against the Vice President's lips. "Nothing you should be worried about right now."
"That is my job, LeAnn."
"Well, consider this after hours." LeAnn risks.
Now Claire looks at her. The Vice President's eyes are tired and she's definitely been drinking for a while.
LeAnn wonders now more than ever what is on Claire's mind.
"You're different, LeAnn." Claire says, pausing before she said the other woman's name out loud.
"Different?" LeAnn questions.
"I don't know if I can trust you, but I suppose that goes for anyone." Claire scoffs and turns back to the window. "I don't even think I can trust Frances." She hesitates. "I don't think I ever could."
LeAnn chooses to ignore the last part of what Claire said. "I'm sorry if I have done anything to waiver your trust in me, ma'am."
Claire shakes her head. "No, you haven't done anything yet."
Yet. LeAnn doesn't push the subject.
"I suppose I should go." LeAnn drops the files onto the counter top. "I'll leave these here with you."
"You can't stay a while? I mean, you did come all this way." Claire stands and almost stumbles a bit, but composes herself.
An invitation from Claire Underwood to stick around is far from common, and LeAnn wants very much to accept, but she is worried what will happen if she does decide to stay with the Vice President. "I'm afraid not, after all, you need your rest Madame Vice President." LeAnn smiles politely.
"Oh, I barely get any rest these days." Claire says softly, almost to herself. "Goodnight then, LeAnn."
"Goodnight."
LeAnn found herself watching the First Lady more often as time passed.
Obviously, neither of them ever discussed what Claire had said to LeAnn about the President that night. LeAnn wasn't even sure if Claire remembered. Even if she did, LeAnn didn't expect Claire to say anything.
Sometimes, at events that LeAnn had the privilege of attending, their eyes would meet from across a large room and Claire would smile softly and LeAnn would smile back.
Sometimes Claire didn't smile at all.
LeAnn expected nothing to come from what she felt, but that didn't stop her from noticing the little things that Claire did. The things that kept LeAnn up at night while she stared at the ceiling of her home.
Things like when she spoke, sometimes Claire would talk with her hands in small movements and LeAnn would analyise them and pick them apart. When she wore her glasses, LeAnn would watch her push them up on her the bridge of her nose every now and then, or she would take them off while thinking and place the temple tip against her lips.
It wasn't a big deal at first, but that's how all things start.
Some nights LeAnn thought about resigning because it got too difficult to be around Claire without saying something stupid.
But what would she say as her reason.
I think I'm in love with you, and it's making it very difficult to do my job properly.
Ha, no.
"Ma'am, are you still with me?" LeAnn had realized that Claire had stopped listening to her.
"What? Sorry, LeAnn, I must have drifted off somewhere else." Cliare smiles apologetically and shakes her head softly as if to clear her head of what she had been thinking about.
"Where did you go?"
Claire's face changes quickly as if she is taken back by LeAnn's bluntness.
As if LeAnn has crossed a boundary.
"I'm sorry," LeAnn shakes her head quickly, realizing what she has done. "I only meant that if you need me to come back later, I can."
Claire softens. "No, that's alright. You're perfectly fine here." She smiles now, but it seems disingenuous. "I'm just a little preoccupied with things that are not relevant."
LeAnn wants to know what these irrelevant things are.
"Work things?" LeAnn is weaving through a mine field.
Shaking her head, Claire looks down at the papers on her desk and sighs. "No, life things."
"Well, I won't press then." She wants very much to press. "I'm in no place to ask."
"Right." Claire nods.
"Fuck."
LeAnn freezes in place at the sound of someone cursing very loudly in the West Wing of the White House. It's not an uncommon occurrence, but it had previously been quiet, and the sudden break of silence startled LeAnn.
She follows the source of the sound and it leads her to a very flustered Claire Underwood, trying frantically to pick up a large amount of files that have been spilled across the floor of her office.
"Can I help you with that, ma'am?" LeAnn asks, making her way across the threshold of the Vice President's office.
"Sure, thank you, LeAnn."
LeAnn crouches down across from the First Lady and assists her with picking up the papers.
"I'm not sure what happened, they just slipped out of my hands." Frustrated with herself, Claire sighs heavily.
"No need to explain yourself to me, ma'am." LeAnn stands with Claire and they set the papers on Claire's desk. "It happens."
Claire meets her eyes. "I suppose so." She claps her hands together softly and smiles. "Thank you, again."
The deed really wasn't a huge deal. LeAnn doesn't like that the First Lady seems as if she is thanking her for something more than just helping her pick up papers.
"It's no problem." LeAnn smiles politely, suddenly itching to leave.
Claire walks behind her desk and begins to sort through the papers.
LeAnn takes this as her cue to leave and she makes her way towards the door.
"Do you ever regret coming here to work with me, LeAnn?"
She stops in her tracks, surprised by the question.
"Sorry?" She turns around to face Claire, confused.
"I only mean that sometimes I feel you could be doing better things for better people." Claire is now sitting at her desk with her hands clasped together in front of her.
"Better things for who? What could be better than this?" LeAnn keeps her tone as professional as she can.
Claire looks down at her hands and smiles to herself. "This is not the best place in the world, LeAnn."
Well, no, this place is hell on earth.
But you're here.
"LeAnn."
Claire is close now, very close.
LeAnn tries her best to keep eye contact with the Vice President. She forces her eyes to stay locked with Claire's, and not to wander down to her lips which are now very close to LeAnn's.
"What do you want?" Claire's voice is a whisper and LeAnn can feel her thumb hooked on the top of LeAnn's skirt. It's pulling down gently, as if Claire is waiting for permission before stripping LeAnn of the layer of clothing.
"I want--" She won't say it.
How did she get here?
"Say it." Claire leans in closer, pressing LeAnn against the cold stone of the White House kitchen counter. She holds her mouth close near LeAnn's and LeAnn leans close to Claire only to have Claire pull back against LeAnn's movements. "Say it." She repeats.
LeAnn is going to have to say it. "Please." She breathes.
"Please what?" Claire is smirking now, she is enjoying how LeAnn squirms.
"I want you to kiss me." LeAnn wants to wrap her hand around the back of Claire's neck and pull her in hard, but she knows that she can't and it's killing her.
"And?" Claire isn't satisfied.
"And..." LeAnn has to force herself. "And I want you to fuck me."
"That wasn't so hard."
Without another word, Claire closes the space between them and kisses LeAnn, hard.
LeAnn moans quietly against Claire's lips and she can feel Claire smile at the sound.
Claire's hand reaches up behind LeAnn's head and grabs a small group of her brown hair. She pulls on it just enough to earn another soft noise from LeAnn.
The other hand of the Vice President finds its way to LeAnn's back and it doesn't stop there, it wanders down further, tracing down LeAnn's spine.
Both of LeAnn's hands rest in the small of Claire's back, pulling her as close as possible, afraid that Claire will pull away.
Eventually though, LeAnn will have to come up for air.
Claire sits up and turns to see the outline of LeAnn's body on the other side of her bed. She smiles to herself.
It's been a long time since the night in the kitchen when Claire taught LeAnn how to breathe.
Now they spend more time together than apart.
Frank knows, of course, but he doesn't speak to Claire about it. It's not his business anymore.
LeAnn had been let go, but she returned after things had settled. For how long though, Claire doesn't know.
Sometimes she thinks she loves LeAnn, but other times she knows it's a lie. There hasn't been love in this house for a long time, and LeAnn isn't about to change that.
She can feel the sheets sticking to her lips and covering her face.
She can't breathe.
LeAnn wakes up when Claire cries out.
She spins around quickly and tries to make out Claire's outline in the dark.
"Claire?" She feels around on the bed until she finds Claire's leg.
LeAnn can see Claire's hands covering her mouth and she thinks maybe there is a tear falling down her cheek.
"Hey, hey," She holds Claire's arm gently and moves slightly closer to the other woman. "What's going on?"
Claire shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut.
"Okay, alright," LeAnn isn't sure what to do. This has definitely never happened before. "I'm here." She pulls Claire into her arms and leans against the backboard of the bed, cradling the woman in her arms.
Claire cries quietly for a while before calming down.
Even after she has shed her last tear, Claire stays in LeAnn's arms for a while, and LeAnn doesn't mind.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" LeAnn whispers into the quiet of the room.
"No." Claire whispers back.
"Okay."
"Maybe someday." Claire decides.
"Whenever you're ready."
"LeAnn?"
She has heard that name slip between Claire's lips so many times and never has she felt more from that than now.
"Yes?"
"I think I might love you."
LeAnn's heart stop for only a second.
"I think I might love you too."
But she doesn't just think.
She knows.
When Claire hears the news, she doesn't react. She only asks for the information they have, and says that she sends her regards to LeAnn's family.
She cries when she is behind closed doors. It's dark and there is nothing but the cold air that has always filled the room she slept in.
She cries with her hands pressed hard against her mouth to stop herself from sobbing.
There used to be something here.
There used to be someone here.
Claire Underwood has always been good at keeping her emotions in check. She does not let what she feels control her.
Something has happened though, and Claire isn't sure where, but there is a crack in the dam she has built around herself, and it's growing.
She wonders later what the last thing LeAnn saw was, what the last thing she thought was.
They hadn't ended badly, Claire just said it was best for her presidency. LeAnn said she understood. That she would be back. Claire said that she was looking forward to it.
The truth was, she missed LeAnn everyday she wasn't sleeping in Claire's bed with her, but LeAnn didn't know that.
They said that they weren't sure where it was LeAnn was going when she crashed, it wasn't a path she would've usually followed. They speculated that maybe she still had information hidden regarding Aiden Macallan and she was trying to flee.
Maybe LeAnn had been running away.
Maybe she was trying to come home.
She hangs up the phone once she has finished speaking to Doug, but LeAnn has one more phone call to make.
However, she is interrupted when she hears the car behind her begin to speed up.
What the hell?
She squints into her rear view mirror and tries to make out what's going on. It's hard to see anything past the car's blinding lights.
Idiot, what are they doing?
The car doesn't stop speeding up and soon it's almost pressing against the back of LeAnn's car.
That's when she realizes what the car is doing.
The last thing she sees is the harsh glow of white light that fills her car before she is hit.
The last thing she thinks is:
Does she still know I love her?