FF: The Reluctant President (1/?)
Please note that I have NOT given up on Radiant. I started this when I was blocked on Radiant and I figured you'd rather have something different than nothing. :)
Title: The Reluctant President (1/?)
Author: caitrin
Rating: This chapter is PG-13 for some language, I guess.
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.
Genre: AU, romance, drama, mystery
Feedback: Much appreciated.
Timeline: About a year into the Santos administration.
Note: In this world, things went AU in season six when Donna quit. This will seem confusing at first, but it's supposed to. Keep reading and all will be revealed. :) If you're REALLY confused, ask and I'll answer unless it will spoil something that's supposed to be revealed later.
"Tell me that didn't just actually happen."
"I'm afraid it did, sir."
"Damn it, Sam, don't call me - "
"It did happen, Mr. President," Sam enunciated carefully. They were alone now in the small hospital conference room he'd commandeered to use as an office, so there wasn't anyone to hear what he called his best friend, but Sam figured they should all get used to saying - and hearing - "Mr. President" as quickly as possible.
"I can't - this isn't how it was supposed to be." President Joshua Lyman dropped his head to the table, looking utterly defeated.
Sam cocked an eyebrow. "No, assassination attempts rarely are."
"No, even aside from all that - this. Us. We're in the wrong places. You're supposed to be President. I'm supposed to be the trusty Chief of Staff. I never wanted this."
"I know."
"Maybe we could switch."
"We can't switch."
"No, really. I name you Vice President and then I resign. What do you think would happen?"
"Do you want a serious answer to that, sir?"
"Sure, what the hell."
"I think in some circles that would be considered a coup, Mr. President. I think it might well bring about the end of democracy as we know it."
"Well, it was an idea." Josh closed his eyes for a minute. "So what's next?"
"Next we figure out how long it's going to be until we can get back to DC."
"You're not coming back to DC, not tonight."
"Excuse me, sir?"
"You heard me in there. I meant what I said."
"The Oath of Office? I'm glad you were sincere, Mr. President."
"Not that." Josh waved a hand impatiently. "The other thing."
"Oh."
"I'm assuming you don't want me going off looking for her right now."
"No, sir, I'd imagine the Secret Service and, you know, the people might not look too kindly on that being your first act in office."
"So you need to go."
Sam sighed and considered arguing, but quickly realized that this was one argument he'd never win. "Do you have any idea where she is?"
"She was in Wisconsin a month ago. Start with her parents."
"How am I going to get to Wisconsin?"
Josh looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "I don't know, a plane?"
"The planes are all grounded. YOU grounded the planes."
"Oh, right." Josh shook his head. "I think this is for the Secret Service to figure out at this point, anyway."
"The - oh, my God, I hadn't thought about that. I get protection now, too."
Josh smiled grimly. "Welcome to my world. Get me Ron Butterfield. I think he's out there somewhere."
Sam opened the door and asked the agent outside to find Agent Butterfield and send him in. Josh got up and started pacing as they waited.
"It's going to be okay," Sam said, trying to sound calming.
"It's really not."
Just then Ron Butterfield entered the room. "Mr. President," he said with a nod.
"Ron. Any news?"
"Just that this might be a bigger thing than we'd thought."
"What do you mean?"
"We think they might have had some people on the inside. We're not sure where, yet. We're going to seriously restrict access to you for the time being."
"You think I'm in danger?"
"Sir." Ron finally met his eyes. "For now, we're assuming that the people who did their best to take out the first Hispanic President of the United States are going to have similar feelings toward the first Jewish president."
Josh laughed, a little hysterically. "You'd think that would have occurred to them beforehand."
"We think they've been planning this since before you were named Vice President, sir. At the moment, Mr. Seaborn is the only person allowed to be alone in a room with you."
"Can I add people to that list?"
"We'll discuss it."
"All right. So Sam is Chief of Staff, as of right now. How long will it take to get a detail here for him?"
"Well, we have Mr. Harrison's detail here now, in addition to yours and all the agents assigned to the Santos family."
"Oh, God. I'd forgotten about Harrison's detail for a minute. Are they going to want to go right back out there?"
"No. Normally in a situation like this, we'd take them off active duty for a while anyway. In this case, we're certainly not blaming them for Harrison's death, but we're not going to send them back out as if nothing happened, either." Ron thought for a minute. "It looks like President Santos will be unconscious in a hospital bed for the foreseeable future, so I'm going to assign Harrison's agents to him. We'll get another detail here as soon as possible to swap out with them."
Josh nodded. Was he supposed to be giving permission for this, or was Ron just informing him? He wasn't really sure.
"Do you want to keep the agents currently on your detail, sir?" Ron asked. "I mean, we'll need to add to it, but . . ."
"Yes. Except I'd like you to head up my detail now, of course," Josh said. "So you're saying you'll move Harrison's detail to President Santos and then use the agents currently assigned to President Santos and myself to set up details for me and Sam?"
"Right."
"And how long will that take?"
"Maybe half an hour. Everyone's already here."
"All right. Get it done." Josh paused while Ron had a short exchange over his walkie-talkie and then continued. "Sam needs to get to Madison, Wisconsin tonight. How do we do that?"
Ron looked back and forth between the two men. "Is this official business or a personal thing?"
"It's a personal favor for me."
"Air Force One has to stay here for you, but we'll find a plane. One of you can reimburse the government out of your personal funds."
"Fine," Josh said.
"I'll go arrange that, and - Mr. Seaborn, will you come with me for a minute?"
Sam followed Ron out into the hallway.
"You're going to look for Ms. Moss?" Ron asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Yes. You remembered that she's in Wisconsin?" Sam asked, surprised.
"It's my job to remember."
"Okay."
"I'm trying to decide whether to send a detail for her, too."
"Is there precedent for that?" Sam asked. "I mean, she's not related to the President and she has no position within the administration . . ."
Ron shrugged. "That's why I'm hesitating. If these bastards have done their research, and it seems that they have, they've probably figured out that getting to her would be a damn good way to cripple this administration before it gets started. I'm just hoping that the fact that she's been gone for a few years means she's dropped off their radar. Has he . . . have they been . . . all this time?"
Sam shook his head. "Unless he's lying to me, and I don't see why he would, he hasn't spoken to her since she quit."
"He also hasn't been on a date since that SUV exploded, has he?"
"Ah, I guess not." Sam wasn't entirely comfortable discussing his friend's private life this way, even with Ron - although if anyone would know about the President's dating status, it would be the person in charge of following him around all the time.
"If I can find an extra agent, I'll up your detail and tell one of them to focus on her. Because if they HAVEN'T realized she's important, giving her a detail would certainly bring her to their attention."
"Okay." Sam felt like he was going to throw up. He couldn't quite believe this conversation was really happening.
"The other thing - if you're leaving, we need to find someone we completely trust to stay with the President until he gets back to the White House. I mean, there are agents on him, of course, and I'll be around, but it looks like someone is going to need to keep him calm and field phone calls."
Sam nodded slowly. "Hold that thought. I have an idea."
Title: The Reluctant President (1/?)
Author: caitrin
Rating: This chapter is PG-13 for some language, I guess.
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.
Genre: AU, romance, drama, mystery
Feedback: Much appreciated.
Timeline: About a year into the Santos administration.
Note: In this world, things went AU in season six when Donna quit. This will seem confusing at first, but it's supposed to. Keep reading and all will be revealed. :) If you're REALLY confused, ask and I'll answer unless it will spoil something that's supposed to be revealed later.
"Tell me that didn't just actually happen."
"I'm afraid it did, sir."
"Damn it, Sam, don't call me - "
"It did happen, Mr. President," Sam enunciated carefully. They were alone now in the small hospital conference room he'd commandeered to use as an office, so there wasn't anyone to hear what he called his best friend, but Sam figured they should all get used to saying - and hearing - "Mr. President" as quickly as possible.
"I can't - this isn't how it was supposed to be." President Joshua Lyman dropped his head to the table, looking utterly defeated.
Sam cocked an eyebrow. "No, assassination attempts rarely are."
"No, even aside from all that - this. Us. We're in the wrong places. You're supposed to be President. I'm supposed to be the trusty Chief of Staff. I never wanted this."
"I know."
"Maybe we could switch."
"We can't switch."
"No, really. I name you Vice President and then I resign. What do you think would happen?"
"Do you want a serious answer to that, sir?"
"Sure, what the hell."
"I think in some circles that would be considered a coup, Mr. President. I think it might well bring about the end of democracy as we know it."
"Well, it was an idea." Josh closed his eyes for a minute. "So what's next?"
"Next we figure out how long it's going to be until we can get back to DC."
"You're not coming back to DC, not tonight."
"Excuse me, sir?"
"You heard me in there. I meant what I said."
"The Oath of Office? I'm glad you were sincere, Mr. President."
"Not that." Josh waved a hand impatiently. "The other thing."
"Oh."
"I'm assuming you don't want me going off looking for her right now."
"No, sir, I'd imagine the Secret Service and, you know, the people might not look too kindly on that being your first act in office."
"So you need to go."
Sam sighed and considered arguing, but quickly realized that this was one argument he'd never win. "Do you have any idea where she is?"
"She was in Wisconsin a month ago. Start with her parents."
"How am I going to get to Wisconsin?"
Josh looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "I don't know, a plane?"
"The planes are all grounded. YOU grounded the planes."
"Oh, right." Josh shook his head. "I think this is for the Secret Service to figure out at this point, anyway."
"The - oh, my God, I hadn't thought about that. I get protection now, too."
Josh smiled grimly. "Welcome to my world. Get me Ron Butterfield. I think he's out there somewhere."
Sam opened the door and asked the agent outside to find Agent Butterfield and send him in. Josh got up and started pacing as they waited.
"It's going to be okay," Sam said, trying to sound calming.
"It's really not."
Just then Ron Butterfield entered the room. "Mr. President," he said with a nod.
"Ron. Any news?"
"Just that this might be a bigger thing than we'd thought."
"What do you mean?"
"We think they might have had some people on the inside. We're not sure where, yet. We're going to seriously restrict access to you for the time being."
"You think I'm in danger?"
"Sir." Ron finally met his eyes. "For now, we're assuming that the people who did their best to take out the first Hispanic President of the United States are going to have similar feelings toward the first Jewish president."
Josh laughed, a little hysterically. "You'd think that would have occurred to them beforehand."
"We think they've been planning this since before you were named Vice President, sir. At the moment, Mr. Seaborn is the only person allowed to be alone in a room with you."
"Can I add people to that list?"
"We'll discuss it."
"All right. So Sam is Chief of Staff, as of right now. How long will it take to get a detail here for him?"
"Well, we have Mr. Harrison's detail here now, in addition to yours and all the agents assigned to the Santos family."
"Oh, God. I'd forgotten about Harrison's detail for a minute. Are they going to want to go right back out there?"
"No. Normally in a situation like this, we'd take them off active duty for a while anyway. In this case, we're certainly not blaming them for Harrison's death, but we're not going to send them back out as if nothing happened, either." Ron thought for a minute. "It looks like President Santos will be unconscious in a hospital bed for the foreseeable future, so I'm going to assign Harrison's agents to him. We'll get another detail here as soon as possible to swap out with them."
Josh nodded. Was he supposed to be giving permission for this, or was Ron just informing him? He wasn't really sure.
"Do you want to keep the agents currently on your detail, sir?" Ron asked. "I mean, we'll need to add to it, but . . ."
"Yes. Except I'd like you to head up my detail now, of course," Josh said. "So you're saying you'll move Harrison's detail to President Santos and then use the agents currently assigned to President Santos and myself to set up details for me and Sam?"
"Right."
"And how long will that take?"
"Maybe half an hour. Everyone's already here."
"All right. Get it done." Josh paused while Ron had a short exchange over his walkie-talkie and then continued. "Sam needs to get to Madison, Wisconsin tonight. How do we do that?"
Ron looked back and forth between the two men. "Is this official business or a personal thing?"
"It's a personal favor for me."
"Air Force One has to stay here for you, but we'll find a plane. One of you can reimburse the government out of your personal funds."
"Fine," Josh said.
"I'll go arrange that, and - Mr. Seaborn, will you come with me for a minute?"
Sam followed Ron out into the hallway.
"You're going to look for Ms. Moss?" Ron asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Yes. You remembered that she's in Wisconsin?" Sam asked, surprised.
"It's my job to remember."
"Okay."
"I'm trying to decide whether to send a detail for her, too."
"Is there precedent for that?" Sam asked. "I mean, she's not related to the President and she has no position within the administration . . ."
Ron shrugged. "That's why I'm hesitating. If these bastards have done their research, and it seems that they have, they've probably figured out that getting to her would be a damn good way to cripple this administration before it gets started. I'm just hoping that the fact that she's been gone for a few years means she's dropped off their radar. Has he . . . have they been . . . all this time?"
Sam shook his head. "Unless he's lying to me, and I don't see why he would, he hasn't spoken to her since she quit."
"He also hasn't been on a date since that SUV exploded, has he?"
"Ah, I guess not." Sam wasn't entirely comfortable discussing his friend's private life this way, even with Ron - although if anyone would know about the President's dating status, it would be the person in charge of following him around all the time.
"If I can find an extra agent, I'll up your detail and tell one of them to focus on her. Because if they HAVEN'T realized she's important, giving her a detail would certainly bring her to their attention."
"Okay." Sam felt like he was going to throw up. He couldn't quite believe this conversation was really happening.
"The other thing - if you're leaving, we need to find someone we completely trust to stay with the President until he gets back to the White House. I mean, there are agents on him, of course, and I'll be around, but it looks like someone is going to need to keep him calm and field phone calls."
Sam nodded slowly. "Hold that thought. I have an idea."