Fic: To Saving the World
Title: To Saving the World
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (nylana)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Angst
Word Count: 6,061
Characters/Pairings: April, Nathan, Whitman, Simon, Alex, Harrison, Sam (Simon/April)
Summary: Secrets come out and April has a bad day
Nathan leaned against the wall of the briefing room, watching April pensively as she gave the daily briefing, and thought back to what Simon had said before leaving that morning.
Keep an eye on April while I'm gone.
He'd been so serious that Nathan had felt a twinge of unease and asked him what was wrong. Simon wouldn't go into more detail beyond saying he didn't want Whitman taking advantage of his being away, and when Nathan had tried to press him on the matter, Simon had sighed and held his hands up.
Just look after her, all right?
Nathan had agreed, though he would have even without Simon's obvious concern. He'd come to care for April immensely over the years and thought of her like a daughter. It worried Nathan to see Simon so troubled over the thought of Whitman doing something while he was away, and he frowned slightly as he looked at April.
The briefing ended and April moved off the platform, waving off a couple of reporters who tried to intercept her as she headed to the door and making a considerable effort to not look irritated.
Her expression softened when she saw Nathan and he fell into step beside her as they moved out into the corridor.
"How are things with you and Simon?" Nathan asked.
April smiled vaguely. "Better. Not one hundred percent, but better."
"Good," Nathan murmured, nodding. Though he liked that his son felt comfortable coming to him for advice, he looked forward to the day where Simon didn't need a push in order to do the right thing.
He followed April into her office and she looked at him, a little bemused as she unbuttoned her suit jacket.
"Did you need something? You don't usually hang around my office."
"If you've got it, I'd like the draft of the dedication speech for the George St. James exhibit."
"Oh, right," she said as she pulled the jacket off and hung it on the back of her chair.
She turned towards the filing cabinet, the short sleeves of her blouse sliding up as she raised her arms, and that was when he saw the bruises, mottled black and blue with darker circles where fingers had clearly gripped her arm painfully tight.
The reason for Simon's concern was suddenly obvious and Nathan felt a flash of anger. He forced a smile as April turned toward him, holding out the papers he'd wanted. He took them from her and gave her a nod as he left her office.
He made a phone call when he was at his desk and a short time later Nathan's secretary brought Whitman in.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" he said.
"Yes," Nathan murmured.
He finished reading over the drafted speech before speaking again, making Whitman wait and pointedly not offering him a seat.
When he finished he laid the speech aside and glanced up at Whitman.
"Do you like your job, Agent Keller?"
There was a beat during which Nathan leaned back in his chair, capping his pen and tossing it on the desk.
"I'm sorry?" Whitman finally asked, confusion knitting his brow.
"I asked if you like your job."
"Yes, I do." He paused. "I like to think I do my job quite well, so I'm not understanding-"
"Yes, you do," Nathan said, staring hard at Whitman. "When you're not chasing after the Press Secretary."
Nathan studied Whitman's face, wondering if he'd try to deny it, and was a little disappointed when the other man remained silent. He'd almost been hoping that he'd get to see a flash of the arrogance he knew the agent possessed, had hoped for a reason to lay into him.
Nathan sat forward, clasping his hands on the surface of his desk.
"I know what you did to April," he said in a low voice, and the change in Whitman's expression was subtle but swift. "I don't want to hear why because I don't care, but I will tell you this. If you touch her again, you won't just have Simon to contend with. I can damage you in ways that he can't." Nathan paused, watching with satisfaction as something akin to fear shone in Whitman's eyes. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal, sir," Whitman said quietly, his hands tensing at his sides.
"Excellent. You can go."
"Simon, could you get me that rack of test tubes from the counter?" Alex asked, gesturing as she peered into her microscope.
Simon frowned and Alex looked up at him.
"Look, you scared off my last assistant and nobody wants the job anymore, so now you get to be my assistant."
Simon sighed as he stood. "Well, he was acting suspicious," he said as he picked up the rack.
"Oh, yes, checking text messages, right at the top of the list of suspicious activities," she said as she watched him walk back. "Shoving him against the wall was a particularly nice touch."
The glass tubes rattled as Simon set the rack on the counter next to her and sat back down on his stool.
"You seem wound a bit tight," Alex said as she picked up one of the tubes, unscrewing the cap with her pinky and reaching for the dropper with her other hand.
"There's just a lot going on right now," Simon replied moodily, propping his head on his fist. His other hand rested on his leg, close to his sidearm, and Alex glanced at it before turning her attention back to the task at hand.
"I'm more than aware of what's going on right now," she murmured, looking down at the slide she was preparing. "I also know that you went off on my assistant right after you failed to get a hold of your girlfriend."
"She usually answers," Simon muttered.
Alex smirked as she glanced over at him. "Unless I missed a step, you're dating the Press Secretary. I think she's a bit busy right now."
Simon grunted, shifting in his seat.
"'Patience, my son, patience,'" Alex said softly as she adjusted the fine focus knob on her microscope.
After a moment she realized Simon was staring at her and she looked up at him.
"What?"
"What did you just say?"
"It's from a poem, 'patience, my son, patience, for they have all lied to you'-"
"-'when they speak of the generosity and fortitude of love'," Simon finished, the corner of his mouth rising.
"You know it?" Alex asked, turning away from the microscope.
"My mother wrote it."
"Your mother? Emily... Gates." Alex smiled, shaking her head. "Of course. I didn't even make the connection."
"You read her book?" Simon asked, his expression eager as he leaned towards Alex.
"I own it. I bought it several years back at a used bookstore. Her poetry is beautiful; it's one of my favorite collections." She smiled a little sheepishly. "I wanted to be a writer for a while and then I realized I loved science more. But I was really into it when I was in high school; while the other kids were off drinking and doing drugs, I was holed up in my room, writing bad poetry."
She laughed and Simon grinned at her.
"What were you into in high school?" Alex asked, looking curiously at Simon.
He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Drinking. Doing drugs."
"Right," Alex said, smiling uncertainly.
Simon just looked at her and Alex stared at him a moment, trying to decide if he was joking with her or not. He seemed completely serious and she frowned a little.
"What?" he asked and she shook her head quickly.
"Nothing," she said, standing. "Why don't you put on some gloves and help me with the tissue samples?"
Nathan sighed, running a hand down his face.
"Harrison, you're missing my point here," he said, hands on his hips as he turned to face the President.
"Tell me, Nathan, what exactly is your point?"
"My point is that this story is going to leak soon. You know it, I know it, Sam knows it, and April definitely knows it."
"What does April have to do with any of this?" Harrison asked, frowning at Nathan.
"Maybe you've forgotten, but she is your Press Secretary. When this gets out, there is going to be a shitstorm and it's going to rain down right on top of her before it even reaches us."
"And yet I don't see her in here for this little pow-wow. Why is that, Nathan?"
"Because I was hoping to talk some sense into you before we started trying to figure out how to spin this."
Harrison narrowed his eyes. "What, are you saying that we should be the ones to tell the entire world that my daughter is pregnant?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Harrison shook his head, turning away from Nathan. Sam sat in a chair nearby, legs crossed as he silently watched the exchange taking place before him.
"How do you think it'll look when word gets out that she's pregnant and that we kept it a secret?"
"It'll look like a father trying to protect his daughter," Harrison replied, glancing at Nathan as he paced in front of his desk.
"It's a fucking scandal, Harrison, one that could do irreparable damage to your image."
"I don't give a shit about my image, Nathan."
"I know you don't, but someone has to. Your approval ratings are tanking."
"What difference does that make? Who cares about approval ratings?"
"You should, because if you piss off the people enough, they will rise against you. All it takes is a small group to try to run you out of office, and the last thing we need to worry about right now is trying to win you an election."
Harrison was silent a moment, his eyes on the floor as he continued to pace.
"I'm not going to be the one to put my daughter in danger," he said finally.
"You know what will happen if this gets out and we're not controlling it?" Nathan said softly. "The press will eat her alive. They will call her irresponsible and reckless, among a great many other things. They will cast a negative light on her relationship with Evan. Hell, they'll probably try to suggest that she cheated on him. They will drag her name and the name of this office through the mud. They will put her in more danger than we ever could."
"You don't care about Penny," Harrison said with sudden anger. "All you care about is how everything looks, maintaining an image that appears respectable. You don't care about her."
Nathan was silent a minute, glaring hard at Harrison.
"I've known her since she was four years old," he said finally, his voice tense. "I have watched her grow up and I've been there for her when you weren't, so don't you dare-"
"Oh, you mean the one time you were sober enough to actually give a shit about somebody else?" Harrison interrupted, his lip curling slightly. He shook his head cynically. "You were never there for her, Nathan; you weren't even there for your own son."
There was a beat during which Harrison's words seem to hang in the air like a noxious cloud and then Nathan started towards him angrily. Sam was on his feet in a flash, placing himself between the two men.
"Stop it right now, the both of you," he said firmly, silencing Nathan's rising retort with a look before turning towards Harrison. "I understand your concern, Harrison, really I do, but Nathan's right. This can't be kept a secret for much longer and we need to be the ones to break the story."
Sam stared hard at Harrison until he finally took a step back, taking a breath and unclenching his fists with what seemed like considerable effort. Sam turned to look at Nathan, who turned away from him, one hand on his hip and the other rubbing the back of his neck as he shook his head.
Sam sighed and called to Harrison's secretary; the door opened almost instantly and she looked in warily at the three of them.
"Could you tell April to come in here, please?" Sam asked.
The secretary glanced at Harrison, who waved his hand at her; she gave a small nod and stepped from the room.
Sam moved away from Harrison, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing over at Nathan. He knew Harrison had hurt him, even though he'd never admit it, and he hoped it wouldn't take Harrison too long to apologize.
The door opened and April walked into the office, shutting the door behind her and then stopping short as she looked uncertainly at the men in front of her.
"What's going on?" she asked hesitantly.
Harrison and Nathan both started towards her and Sam felt himself tense up as he too stepped forward.
"Nathan thinks that I should tell the entire world that Penny's pregnant so that all those maniacs out there can focus on trying to hurt her instead of me."
"And Harrison thinks that we should try to keep it a secret so that it can be leaked to the press and spun wildly out of control, placing her in worse danger."
The two men glared at each other a second before turning their attention back to April.
"Who do you agree with?" Harrison said, pointing a finger at her as he took another step towards her.
"Don't gang up on her, this isn't why I asked her to come in here," Sam said, placing a restraining hand on Harrison's shoulder.
"We're not ganging up-"
"I agree with Nathan," April said calmly, silencing the men in front of her. "He's absolutely right," she continued, "this will get out, and if we're not the ones controlling the information, it will get dangerously out of hand. The press can be brutal when they get a hold of something like this. If we put it out there first, it will look like we're being up front and honest, so there won't be any need for anyone to go looking for skeletons in anybody's closet."
"Thank you-" Nathan started and April held her hand up.
"I'm not done," she said, silencing him with a look. "While you two were in here, having this little pissing contest over who's right and who's wrong, did either of you consider asking Penny what she wants?"
Nathan and Harrison glanced at each other, shifting uncomfortably where they stood.
"I didn't think so," April said, shaking her head. "Penny is going to be hurt by this no matter who leaks the story. You're talking about telling the world about her health, about what's going on in her body. I'd suggest asking her how she feels about it first."
The tension between Harrison and Nathan seemed to melt and Sam didn't try to hide his grin as he watched April glare at the two of them.
Simon paced aimlessly around the lab, casting his glance over to Alex every so often. She was immersed in whatever it was she doing on her computer and he was a little bored. His mind drifted back to April and he wondered what she was doing. He'd tried calling her again and her secretary had told him, exasperation evident in her voice, that April was busy and of course had received his messages and would call back when she had the chance.
He touched the phone in his pocket and sighed, trying to resign himself to just having to wait until later that evening to call her. He hadn't been able to stop worrying about her since he'd left Washington and though he knew she probably was just very busy, it didn't stop him from imagining all of the other things that could keep her away from her office. His hand clenched around his phone and he had to resist the urge to call her again.
Alex sighed suddenly and he looked over at her as she sat back in her chair.
"What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to stand beside her.
She gestured towards the screen and he looked at it. It meant virtually nothing to him and he glanced at her, confused.
"There's an abnormality here," she explained, waving at the screen again, "but I can't be sure if it's always been there or if it's a result of the samples being old or what. I need fresh samples."
Simon shrugged. "So ask for some."
Alex looked up at him, smiling slightly before she reached for the phone.
Simon continued his pacing around the room, listening vaguely as Alex made her way through the various secretaries until she finally reached Harrison.
He ran his thumb along the edges of his phone as Alex explained what she needed; his mind drifted back to April, back to Whitman, back to the images he couldn't get out of his head.
He had his phone in his hand and was staring at his recent calls list, his thumb hovering over the button to call April's office again, when Alex hung up, happily stating that she'd have her fresh samples soon.
"That's great," Simon murmured.
Alex looked over at him and sighed when she saw him looking at his phone again.
"I'm sure she's fine, Simon. She's just busy."
Simon nodded absently; he could feel Alex's eyes on him and found he couldn't look at her. He felt weak, crippled by his own imagination, and he sighed as he placed the call, raising the phone to his ear and covering his eyes with his other hand.
He was unsurprised when April's secretary answered the phone and told him April was still out of her office, and was almost expecting it when she asked him to please stop calling.
He snapped his phone shut and ran his hand down his face, staring at the wall.
"Whatever it is you're thinking, it's not that bad," Alex said softly.
Simon looked over at her, restlessly turning the phone over in his hands. She smiled gently at him and he took a breath as he dropped his phone into his pocket.
"Come over here and put some gloves on, I need your help."
Simon started towards her and her smile widened. "And if you look at your phone again, I'm throwing you out of here."
"I'd like to see you try," Simon replied, raising his eyebrows at her.
"I'm stronger than I look."
"Well, I'm armed," Simon countered, grinning down at her.
Alex looked pointedly at the gun on his hip and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you know how to use that thing?"
Simon laughed and Alex stood, a satisfied smile on her face.
Simon's phone rang later that night and he nearly dropped it as he fumbled it from his pocket, stepping from the kitchen where Alex and two other agents were talking as they ate dinner. He moved into the relative quiet of the living room and turned the volume down on the TV as he pressed the phone to his ear. The sound of April's voice filled him with a sense of relief that he'd never felt before and he smiled.
"I'm sorry I wasn't around earlier, today has just been... ridiculous."
She sighed and his smile widened as he imagined her waving her hand exasperatedly.
"You called me six times today." Her tone was slightly amused. "How come?"
"No reason," he said, shrugging as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.
She sighed again. "Simon, remember what you promised me?"
He took a breath and closed his eyes briefly. "I was just... worried."
"About what?"
"You and... and Whitman," he said, feeling stupid even as he said it.
April was silent and he could sense her confusion. He shook his head, rolling his eyes at himself.
"I saw the bruises on your arm before I left and I know he put them there."
"I was going to tell you about that before you left," April said quickly, her voice apologetic. "I just... I knew it would upset you and I didn't want to spoil the moment."
"I know." Simon sighed, touching his fingers lightly to the back of the couch. "I was just afraid he might try to take advantage of my being gone and then when you weren't in your office today, I just kept thinking-"
"I'm fine, Simon," April said gently. "I haven't even seen Whitman since you left."
"You'd tell me though, right?" he said uncertainly. "If something... happened?"
"I wouldn't keep something like that from you."
Though her voice was reassuring, and he had no reason to doubt her, he wished he could see her face, wished she could kiss him right now and set his mind at ease.
"Damn, I have to go; I've got to go make the statement about those samples for Dr. McKay. I'll talk-"
"April?" Simon said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
He closed his eyes, rubbing his knuckles against the back of the couch until they hurt, and took a breath.
"I love you."
There was silence on the other end of the line and he felt the tightness begin to seize his heart, the ever-present fear that she wouldn't reply rising within him.
She laughed very softly, almost breathlessly. "I love you too."
He grinned, laughing a little as well, relief washing over him and easing the tension in his chest.
"I really have to go now, but I'll talk to you later, okay?"
He could sense her reluctance to hang up, and he shared her feelings, but he nodded, agreeing they'd talk later, and snapped his phone shut.
"Simon, you're not gonna have much to eat if you don't come back in here."
He turned to see Alex watching him from the doorway of the kitchen and she looked at him curiously.
"Everything all right?"
"Fine," he said, slipping his phone into his pocket and smiling as he started back into the kitchen.
"April, come on," Nathan said from the doorway, glancing at his watch.
"Coming, sorry," she said, pulling on her suit jacket and gathering her notes in her hand as she stepped quickly around her desk. "I had to call Simon; he's been trying to get a hold of me all day."
"How come?" Nathan asked, falling into step with April as they moved into the corridor.
"He was just a little worried. It's fine."
She smiled slightly and Nathan looked at her curiously as he pushed open the door to the briefing room, letting her enter first and following her up onto the platform.
April stepped up to the podium; even though she'd been doing this for years and speaking to the press had become second nature to her, she always found the presence of Sam, Nathan, and Harrison behind her somehow reassuring. She glanced down at her notes and took a breath.
She launched into the explanation of Alex's research, trying to explain what she was looking for before going into what she needed.
"What we're asking is for women of child bearing age to submit samples of their blood for testing. The major hospitals in the area have already been prepped and the smaller hospitals will be ready within the coming days."
She paused for a moment and one of the reporters took advantage of her silence.
"Don't you see this as a horrible invasion of privacy?"
April shook her head. "This is an entirely voluntary procedure, and no blood will be submitted for testing without the express consent of the individual."
"Will you be submitting your own blood?"
April was surprised by the question, though she supposed she shouldn't have been, and she quickly regained her composure.
"I fully intend to as soon as I get the chance."
"What about the President's daughter?"
"I can't really speak for her, but I assume-"
"You two are friends, right? I would think you'd know what she intends to do."
April frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "My relationship with the President's daughter is not really relevant to... well, anything. If we could just move on-"
There was a gentle hand on her shoulder and she glanced up to see Harrison standing beside her.
"Sir?" she murmured.
"Let me talk to them."
April hesitated and then nodded uncertainly, stepping to the side.
She started to move back to stand next to Nathan as Harrison began to speak.
"I have an announcement I'd like to make, in regards to my daughter, Penny."
April's eyes widened and she was back at the podium in a flash, covering the microphone with her hand as she stared up at Harrison.
"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed.
"April-"
"We have not discussed this yet or planned what you're going to say, you can't do this now."
Harrison placed his hands gently but firmly on April's arms and moved her out of the way. She stared at him, open-mouthed, until she felt a tugging on the back of her jacket, pulling her backward.
She glanced up at Nathan as he took hold of her arm and he shook his head at her, his jaw clenching slightly.
"Stop him," she whispered fiercely.
"How?" Nathan asked, looking at her helplessly. "Short of bodily dragging him away from the podium, there's not really anything we can do."
April blew out an irritated breath and turned her attention back to Harrison as he took a breath to speak.
"A few weeks ago my daughter found out that she's pregnant."
A murmuring swept through the room and April closed her eyes, covering her face with her hand.
"This is such a disaster," she said softly as she shook her head.
Nathan shushed her, laying a quelling hand on her arm to cease her restless shifting. Sam stood motionless on the other side of Nathan, his hands clasped in front of him, his gaze on the floor as he shook his head almost imperceptibly.
Harrison waited for the murmuring to die down before he spoke again.
"I have seen and heard the speculation running rampant throughout the city, and throughout my own administration, wondering why I suddenly became so intent on putting together the research team, and now you know. Three weeks ago this hit me on a very personal level and my motivation now is to not only prevent what will become the inevitable extinction of the human race should this problem go unchecked, but to save my daughter. And before any of you start judging her, or decide to portray her in a negative light, let me tell you this: my daughter is a smart, conscientious woman. Anybody who knows her can attest to this. So before anybody starts thinking that she's irresponsible or wasn't being careful, consider this instead: this is a problem that affects everybody, and this is why we need to find out what it is and put an end to it as soon as we possibly can."
Harrison stopped speaking and the assembled press exploded into questions. April stepped forward, insinuating herself between Harrison and the podium.
"There will be no further questions tonight. An official statement will be released tomorrow. Thank you."
The four of them left the platform, and when the door was closed against the shouting members of the press, April whirled on Harrison, glaring at him so fiercely that he took a step backward.
"I am so angry with you right now." She paused, her hands on her hips; she looked as though she was trying very hard not to lose it completely. "That was completely reckless and... and unnecessary and quite possibly the dumbest thing you have ever done."
"April, I had to."
"No, sir, you didn't. It could have waited, it should have waited."
"April-"
"I don't want to talk about this now." She held up her hand as she started to move away from him. "Tomorrow." She turned to leave, took three steps towards the door and then spun around again, pointing a finger at Harrison. "There is one thing you need to do right now. You need to call Penny and tell her what you just did before she sees it on the news tonight or splashed all over the front page of every newspaper and tabloid on the east coast in the morning." Harrison nodded solemnly. "And I wonder, Harrison," April continued, making this one of the very rare occasions where she used his first name, "what will Penny think of the way you've been handling her personal life lately?"
Harrison watched her go, knowing just how right she was and knowing how much harder her day would be tomorrow. He felt a tug of guilt at the thought.
He glanced over and saw Nathan speaking animatedly with the head of the Secret Service; he knew he was ordering extra protection for Penny and he sighed, closing his eyes momentarily.
When he opened them again Sam was standing in front of him, looking thoughtful.
He opened his mouth to speak and Harrison held up his hand. "Not now, Sam. I know I'm an idiot and I'm certainly not going to win any father of the year awards. We can talk about it later."
Sam looked at him a moment more before turning and striding from the room in search of April, wanting to make sure she was all right. She was angrier than he'd seen her in a long time and he hoped to calm her down before she left to go home. She wasn't in her office or the press room and he frowned as he moved through the silent corridors, ending up at his own office.
He pushed open the door and there she was, sitting on his couch and staring contemplatively at the drink in her hand.
"I already poured you one," she said quietly as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
He sat down beside her, picking up his glass and taking a sip.
"Sam?" she said a moment later.
"Hmm?" he murmured, glancing over at her.
"Tell me this is going to be okay."
He frowned slightly. "Why?"
"Because I really need for this to be okay." She laughed a little shakily and looked over at him. "And because if you say it, I'll believe it."
"It's going to be okay," Sam said, the corner of his mouth rising.
April groaned and leaned against him, her head falling onto his shoulder.
"Tomorrow is going to suck," she said and he laughed softly, his arm going around her shoulders.
"Tomorrow's going to be fine. I know you can handle this."
April sighed and clinked her glass against his.
"What are we toasting?" he asked.
"To saving the world, one botched press briefing at a time."
"That's as good a toast as any," he murmured, raising his glass to his lips.
They drank in silence for a while and then April sat up, sighing as she set her glass down on the coffee table.
"I'm going to go home and go to bed and try to forget that this happened."
They stood and Sam walked her to the door.
"Night, Sam," she said, smiling at him as she stepped into the corridor.
"Good night, April," he replied, returning her smile and watching as she walked away down the hall.
Later that night, April lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about how much she wanted to go to sleep. She watched the blades of the ceiling fan as they sliced through the air and sighed, unable to stop herself from thinking about all of the things that could happen tomorrow, of all of the things that could go wrong.
Her hand drifted over to Simon's side of the bed and felt the empty space; the sheets were cool under her fingertips, and she wished more than ever that he was right there beside her.
Later that night, Sam lay awake in bed, staring up at the shadows dancing across his ceiling as the trees outside swayed gently in a breeze. He wanted to sleep but all he could think about was the way April had felt against his side, the way her head seemed to fit perfectly on his shoulder, how easy it had been for him to put his arm around her.
His hand drifted over to the empty side of the bed and he closed his eyes against the wish that she was right there beside him.
"Sam, have you looked at this?" April asked, brandishing a piece of paper at him.
"What is it?" he asked, his fingers brushing hers as he took it from her.
Nathan and Harrison were a few paces ahead of them, deep in their own conversation. They were flanked by four Secret Service agents, one of whom was Whitman.
They were approaching the newest war memorial, erected several years ago in honor of those who had died during the war of the 20's. It was attached to a museum more generally dedicated to the period of time between the events of December 2012 and Harrison's father taking office. They were headed to the museum to approve the final look of an exhibit opening soon that detailed the beginning of George St. James' presidency.
Mid-afternoon sunlight glinted off the panes of glass that comprised the roof of the memorial, surrounding an opening in the very center; it always made April think of the oculus in the ceiling of the Pantheon. Every time she saw it she was reminded of how much she wanted to visit Rome, though she thought maybe it was best to just visit through pictures. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what the city looked like after fifty years of stagnation.
"It's an article about the press briefing the other night." She jabbed a finger at the paper as they climbed the steps. "Did you see what they called us? What does that even mean?"
Sam chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly, and April looked up at him.
"What?"
"Just... you."
"What do you mean?"
"You, getting mad over a silly little comment in an article published in a sleazy political tabloid, it's just..."
"It's just what?" April asked, her lips curving slightly.
"Nothing," Sam said, shaking his head.
April leaned towards him and plucked at his sleeve with her fingers, grinning as she opened her mouth to speak.
A sudden shout cut her off and they looked up to see a tall man standing in the center of the memorial, wearing an oddly lumpy overcoat.
April glanced over at Harrison and Nathan, watching as Whitman and the other agents stepped in front of them, reaching for their sidearms; the agents with April and Sam did the same. She could see two more agents emerging from the museum, guns already drawn and held low.
"Fifty years ago we defied God's will," the man intoned, his eyes glittering as he looked at the four of them, ignoring the agents completely. There was a calmness to his demeanor, a sense of absolute certainty that seemed reserved for the truly insane.
Sam shifted restlessly, placing himself slightly in front of April, his hand light on her forearm. April had never seen the expression on his face before and a thrill of fear shot through her.
"Thus with violence shall the great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. Your redemption draws near."
The man opened his overcoat and though she'd never seen one up close, April knew enough to recognize the bomb strapped to his torso. She gasped, recoiling slightly as he took the detonator in his hand, his thumb hovering over the small red button.
Whitman seemed to move in slow motion as he removed his sidearm from his holster and extended it in front of him; the shouts of the agents seemed strangely far away as they commanded the man to freeze. April looked over, her gaze meeting Nathan's. His expression was unreadable as he looked at her and then Sam's hand clamped vise-like on April's arm as he started to move backward. Her fingers clutched at the back of his suit jacket as she tried to make her feet move.
The man calmly closed his eyes, took a breath, and pushed the button.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (nylana)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Angst
Word Count: 6,061
Characters/Pairings: April, Nathan, Whitman, Simon, Alex, Harrison, Sam (Simon/April)
Summary: Secrets come out and April has a bad day
Nathan leaned against the wall of the briefing room, watching April pensively as she gave the daily briefing, and thought back to what Simon had said before leaving that morning.
Keep an eye on April while I'm gone.
He'd been so serious that Nathan had felt a twinge of unease and asked him what was wrong. Simon wouldn't go into more detail beyond saying he didn't want Whitman taking advantage of his being away, and when Nathan had tried to press him on the matter, Simon had sighed and held his hands up.
Just look after her, all right?
Nathan had agreed, though he would have even without Simon's obvious concern. He'd come to care for April immensely over the years and thought of her like a daughter. It worried Nathan to see Simon so troubled over the thought of Whitman doing something while he was away, and he frowned slightly as he looked at April.
The briefing ended and April moved off the platform, waving off a couple of reporters who tried to intercept her as she headed to the door and making a considerable effort to not look irritated.
Her expression softened when she saw Nathan and he fell into step beside her as they moved out into the corridor.
"How are things with you and Simon?" Nathan asked.
April smiled vaguely. "Better. Not one hundred percent, but better."
"Good," Nathan murmured, nodding. Though he liked that his son felt comfortable coming to him for advice, he looked forward to the day where Simon didn't need a push in order to do the right thing.
He followed April into her office and she looked at him, a little bemused as she unbuttoned her suit jacket.
"Did you need something? You don't usually hang around my office."
"If you've got it, I'd like the draft of the dedication speech for the George St. James exhibit."
"Oh, right," she said as she pulled the jacket off and hung it on the back of her chair.
She turned towards the filing cabinet, the short sleeves of her blouse sliding up as she raised her arms, and that was when he saw the bruises, mottled black and blue with darker circles where fingers had clearly gripped her arm painfully tight.
The reason for Simon's concern was suddenly obvious and Nathan felt a flash of anger. He forced a smile as April turned toward him, holding out the papers he'd wanted. He took them from her and gave her a nod as he left her office.
He made a phone call when he was at his desk and a short time later Nathan's secretary brought Whitman in.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" he said.
"Yes," Nathan murmured.
He finished reading over the drafted speech before speaking again, making Whitman wait and pointedly not offering him a seat.
When he finished he laid the speech aside and glanced up at Whitman.
"Do you like your job, Agent Keller?"
There was a beat during which Nathan leaned back in his chair, capping his pen and tossing it on the desk.
"I'm sorry?" Whitman finally asked, confusion knitting his brow.
"I asked if you like your job."
"Yes, I do." He paused. "I like to think I do my job quite well, so I'm not understanding-"
"Yes, you do," Nathan said, staring hard at Whitman. "When you're not chasing after the Press Secretary."
Nathan studied Whitman's face, wondering if he'd try to deny it, and was a little disappointed when the other man remained silent. He'd almost been hoping that he'd get to see a flash of the arrogance he knew the agent possessed, had hoped for a reason to lay into him.
Nathan sat forward, clasping his hands on the surface of his desk.
"I know what you did to April," he said in a low voice, and the change in Whitman's expression was subtle but swift. "I don't want to hear why because I don't care, but I will tell you this. If you touch her again, you won't just have Simon to contend with. I can damage you in ways that he can't." Nathan paused, watching with satisfaction as something akin to fear shone in Whitman's eyes. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal, sir," Whitman said quietly, his hands tensing at his sides.
"Excellent. You can go."
"Simon, could you get me that rack of test tubes from the counter?" Alex asked, gesturing as she peered into her microscope.
Simon frowned and Alex looked up at him.
"Look, you scared off my last assistant and nobody wants the job anymore, so now you get to be my assistant."
Simon sighed as he stood. "Well, he was acting suspicious," he said as he picked up the rack.
"Oh, yes, checking text messages, right at the top of the list of suspicious activities," she said as she watched him walk back. "Shoving him against the wall was a particularly nice touch."
The glass tubes rattled as Simon set the rack on the counter next to her and sat back down on his stool.
"You seem wound a bit tight," Alex said as she picked up one of the tubes, unscrewing the cap with her pinky and reaching for the dropper with her other hand.
"There's just a lot going on right now," Simon replied moodily, propping his head on his fist. His other hand rested on his leg, close to his sidearm, and Alex glanced at it before turning her attention back to the task at hand.
"I'm more than aware of what's going on right now," she murmured, looking down at the slide she was preparing. "I also know that you went off on my assistant right after you failed to get a hold of your girlfriend."
"She usually answers," Simon muttered.
Alex smirked as she glanced over at him. "Unless I missed a step, you're dating the Press Secretary. I think she's a bit busy right now."
Simon grunted, shifting in his seat.
"'Patience, my son, patience,'" Alex said softly as she adjusted the fine focus knob on her microscope.
After a moment she realized Simon was staring at her and she looked up at him.
"What?"
"What did you just say?"
"It's from a poem, 'patience, my son, patience, for they have all lied to you'-"
"-'when they speak of the generosity and fortitude of love'," Simon finished, the corner of his mouth rising.
"You know it?" Alex asked, turning away from the microscope.
"My mother wrote it."
"Your mother? Emily... Gates." Alex smiled, shaking her head. "Of course. I didn't even make the connection."
"You read her book?" Simon asked, his expression eager as he leaned towards Alex.
"I own it. I bought it several years back at a used bookstore. Her poetry is beautiful; it's one of my favorite collections." She smiled a little sheepishly. "I wanted to be a writer for a while and then I realized I loved science more. But I was really into it when I was in high school; while the other kids were off drinking and doing drugs, I was holed up in my room, writing bad poetry."
She laughed and Simon grinned at her.
"What were you into in high school?" Alex asked, looking curiously at Simon.
He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Drinking. Doing drugs."
"Right," Alex said, smiling uncertainly.
Simon just looked at her and Alex stared at him a moment, trying to decide if he was joking with her or not. He seemed completely serious and she frowned a little.
"What?" he asked and she shook her head quickly.
"Nothing," she said, standing. "Why don't you put on some gloves and help me with the tissue samples?"
Nathan sighed, running a hand down his face.
"Harrison, you're missing my point here," he said, hands on his hips as he turned to face the President.
"Tell me, Nathan, what exactly is your point?"
"My point is that this story is going to leak soon. You know it, I know it, Sam knows it, and April definitely knows it."
"What does April have to do with any of this?" Harrison asked, frowning at Nathan.
"Maybe you've forgotten, but she is your Press Secretary. When this gets out, there is going to be a shitstorm and it's going to rain down right on top of her before it even reaches us."
"And yet I don't see her in here for this little pow-wow. Why is that, Nathan?"
"Because I was hoping to talk some sense into you before we started trying to figure out how to spin this."
Harrison narrowed his eyes. "What, are you saying that we should be the ones to tell the entire world that my daughter is pregnant?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Harrison shook his head, turning away from Nathan. Sam sat in a chair nearby, legs crossed as he silently watched the exchange taking place before him.
"How do you think it'll look when word gets out that she's pregnant and that we kept it a secret?"
"It'll look like a father trying to protect his daughter," Harrison replied, glancing at Nathan as he paced in front of his desk.
"It's a fucking scandal, Harrison, one that could do irreparable damage to your image."
"I don't give a shit about my image, Nathan."
"I know you don't, but someone has to. Your approval ratings are tanking."
"What difference does that make? Who cares about approval ratings?"
"You should, because if you piss off the people enough, they will rise against you. All it takes is a small group to try to run you out of office, and the last thing we need to worry about right now is trying to win you an election."
Harrison was silent a moment, his eyes on the floor as he continued to pace.
"I'm not going to be the one to put my daughter in danger," he said finally.
"You know what will happen if this gets out and we're not controlling it?" Nathan said softly. "The press will eat her alive. They will call her irresponsible and reckless, among a great many other things. They will cast a negative light on her relationship with Evan. Hell, they'll probably try to suggest that she cheated on him. They will drag her name and the name of this office through the mud. They will put her in more danger than we ever could."
"You don't care about Penny," Harrison said with sudden anger. "All you care about is how everything looks, maintaining an image that appears respectable. You don't care about her."
Nathan was silent a minute, glaring hard at Harrison.
"I've known her since she was four years old," he said finally, his voice tense. "I have watched her grow up and I've been there for her when you weren't, so don't you dare-"
"Oh, you mean the one time you were sober enough to actually give a shit about somebody else?" Harrison interrupted, his lip curling slightly. He shook his head cynically. "You were never there for her, Nathan; you weren't even there for your own son."
There was a beat during which Harrison's words seem to hang in the air like a noxious cloud and then Nathan started towards him angrily. Sam was on his feet in a flash, placing himself between the two men.
"Stop it right now, the both of you," he said firmly, silencing Nathan's rising retort with a look before turning towards Harrison. "I understand your concern, Harrison, really I do, but Nathan's right. This can't be kept a secret for much longer and we need to be the ones to break the story."
Sam stared hard at Harrison until he finally took a step back, taking a breath and unclenching his fists with what seemed like considerable effort. Sam turned to look at Nathan, who turned away from him, one hand on his hip and the other rubbing the back of his neck as he shook his head.
Sam sighed and called to Harrison's secretary; the door opened almost instantly and she looked in warily at the three of them.
"Could you tell April to come in here, please?" Sam asked.
The secretary glanced at Harrison, who waved his hand at her; she gave a small nod and stepped from the room.
Sam moved away from Harrison, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing over at Nathan. He knew Harrison had hurt him, even though he'd never admit it, and he hoped it wouldn't take Harrison too long to apologize.
The door opened and April walked into the office, shutting the door behind her and then stopping short as she looked uncertainly at the men in front of her.
"What's going on?" she asked hesitantly.
Harrison and Nathan both started towards her and Sam felt himself tense up as he too stepped forward.
"Nathan thinks that I should tell the entire world that Penny's pregnant so that all those maniacs out there can focus on trying to hurt her instead of me."
"And Harrison thinks that we should try to keep it a secret so that it can be leaked to the press and spun wildly out of control, placing her in worse danger."
The two men glared at each other a second before turning their attention back to April.
"Who do you agree with?" Harrison said, pointing a finger at her as he took another step towards her.
"Don't gang up on her, this isn't why I asked her to come in here," Sam said, placing a restraining hand on Harrison's shoulder.
"We're not ganging up-"
"I agree with Nathan," April said calmly, silencing the men in front of her. "He's absolutely right," she continued, "this will get out, and if we're not the ones controlling the information, it will get dangerously out of hand. The press can be brutal when they get a hold of something like this. If we put it out there first, it will look like we're being up front and honest, so there won't be any need for anyone to go looking for skeletons in anybody's closet."
"Thank you-" Nathan started and April held her hand up.
"I'm not done," she said, silencing him with a look. "While you two were in here, having this little pissing contest over who's right and who's wrong, did either of you consider asking Penny what she wants?"
Nathan and Harrison glanced at each other, shifting uncomfortably where they stood.
"I didn't think so," April said, shaking her head. "Penny is going to be hurt by this no matter who leaks the story. You're talking about telling the world about her health, about what's going on in her body. I'd suggest asking her how she feels about it first."
The tension between Harrison and Nathan seemed to melt and Sam didn't try to hide his grin as he watched April glare at the two of them.
Simon paced aimlessly around the lab, casting his glance over to Alex every so often. She was immersed in whatever it was she doing on her computer and he was a little bored. His mind drifted back to April and he wondered what she was doing. He'd tried calling her again and her secretary had told him, exasperation evident in her voice, that April was busy and of course had received his messages and would call back when she had the chance.
He touched the phone in his pocket and sighed, trying to resign himself to just having to wait until later that evening to call her. He hadn't been able to stop worrying about her since he'd left Washington and though he knew she probably was just very busy, it didn't stop him from imagining all of the other things that could keep her away from her office. His hand clenched around his phone and he had to resist the urge to call her again.
Alex sighed suddenly and he looked over at her as she sat back in her chair.
"What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to stand beside her.
She gestured towards the screen and he looked at it. It meant virtually nothing to him and he glanced at her, confused.
"There's an abnormality here," she explained, waving at the screen again, "but I can't be sure if it's always been there or if it's a result of the samples being old or what. I need fresh samples."
Simon shrugged. "So ask for some."
Alex looked up at him, smiling slightly before she reached for the phone.
Simon continued his pacing around the room, listening vaguely as Alex made her way through the various secretaries until she finally reached Harrison.
He ran his thumb along the edges of his phone as Alex explained what she needed; his mind drifted back to April, back to Whitman, back to the images he couldn't get out of his head.
He had his phone in his hand and was staring at his recent calls list, his thumb hovering over the button to call April's office again, when Alex hung up, happily stating that she'd have her fresh samples soon.
"That's great," Simon murmured.
Alex looked over at him and sighed when she saw him looking at his phone again.
"I'm sure she's fine, Simon. She's just busy."
Simon nodded absently; he could feel Alex's eyes on him and found he couldn't look at her. He felt weak, crippled by his own imagination, and he sighed as he placed the call, raising the phone to his ear and covering his eyes with his other hand.
He was unsurprised when April's secretary answered the phone and told him April was still out of her office, and was almost expecting it when she asked him to please stop calling.
He snapped his phone shut and ran his hand down his face, staring at the wall.
"Whatever it is you're thinking, it's not that bad," Alex said softly.
Simon looked over at her, restlessly turning the phone over in his hands. She smiled gently at him and he took a breath as he dropped his phone into his pocket.
"Come over here and put some gloves on, I need your help."
Simon started towards her and her smile widened. "And if you look at your phone again, I'm throwing you out of here."
"I'd like to see you try," Simon replied, raising his eyebrows at her.
"I'm stronger than I look."
"Well, I'm armed," Simon countered, grinning down at her.
Alex looked pointedly at the gun on his hip and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you know how to use that thing?"
Simon laughed and Alex stood, a satisfied smile on her face.
Simon's phone rang later that night and he nearly dropped it as he fumbled it from his pocket, stepping from the kitchen where Alex and two other agents were talking as they ate dinner. He moved into the relative quiet of the living room and turned the volume down on the TV as he pressed the phone to his ear. The sound of April's voice filled him with a sense of relief that he'd never felt before and he smiled.
"I'm sorry I wasn't around earlier, today has just been... ridiculous."
She sighed and his smile widened as he imagined her waving her hand exasperatedly.
"You called me six times today." Her tone was slightly amused. "How come?"
"No reason," he said, shrugging as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.
She sighed again. "Simon, remember what you promised me?"
He took a breath and closed his eyes briefly. "I was just... worried."
"About what?"
"You and... and Whitman," he said, feeling stupid even as he said it.
April was silent and he could sense her confusion. He shook his head, rolling his eyes at himself.
"I saw the bruises on your arm before I left and I know he put them there."
"I was going to tell you about that before you left," April said quickly, her voice apologetic. "I just... I knew it would upset you and I didn't want to spoil the moment."
"I know." Simon sighed, touching his fingers lightly to the back of the couch. "I was just afraid he might try to take advantage of my being gone and then when you weren't in your office today, I just kept thinking-"
"I'm fine, Simon," April said gently. "I haven't even seen Whitman since you left."
"You'd tell me though, right?" he said uncertainly. "If something... happened?"
"I wouldn't keep something like that from you."
Though her voice was reassuring, and he had no reason to doubt her, he wished he could see her face, wished she could kiss him right now and set his mind at ease.
"Damn, I have to go; I've got to go make the statement about those samples for Dr. McKay. I'll talk-"
"April?" Simon said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
He closed his eyes, rubbing his knuckles against the back of the couch until they hurt, and took a breath.
"I love you."
There was silence on the other end of the line and he felt the tightness begin to seize his heart, the ever-present fear that she wouldn't reply rising within him.
She laughed very softly, almost breathlessly. "I love you too."
He grinned, laughing a little as well, relief washing over him and easing the tension in his chest.
"I really have to go now, but I'll talk to you later, okay?"
He could sense her reluctance to hang up, and he shared her feelings, but he nodded, agreeing they'd talk later, and snapped his phone shut.
"Simon, you're not gonna have much to eat if you don't come back in here."
He turned to see Alex watching him from the doorway of the kitchen and she looked at him curiously.
"Everything all right?"
"Fine," he said, slipping his phone into his pocket and smiling as he started back into the kitchen.
"April, come on," Nathan said from the doorway, glancing at his watch.
"Coming, sorry," she said, pulling on her suit jacket and gathering her notes in her hand as she stepped quickly around her desk. "I had to call Simon; he's been trying to get a hold of me all day."
"How come?" Nathan asked, falling into step with April as they moved into the corridor.
"He was just a little worried. It's fine."
She smiled slightly and Nathan looked at her curiously as he pushed open the door to the briefing room, letting her enter first and following her up onto the platform.
April stepped up to the podium; even though she'd been doing this for years and speaking to the press had become second nature to her, she always found the presence of Sam, Nathan, and Harrison behind her somehow reassuring. She glanced down at her notes and took a breath.
She launched into the explanation of Alex's research, trying to explain what she was looking for before going into what she needed.
"What we're asking is for women of child bearing age to submit samples of their blood for testing. The major hospitals in the area have already been prepped and the smaller hospitals will be ready within the coming days."
She paused for a moment and one of the reporters took advantage of her silence.
"Don't you see this as a horrible invasion of privacy?"
April shook her head. "This is an entirely voluntary procedure, and no blood will be submitted for testing without the express consent of the individual."
"Will you be submitting your own blood?"
April was surprised by the question, though she supposed she shouldn't have been, and she quickly regained her composure.
"I fully intend to as soon as I get the chance."
"What about the President's daughter?"
"I can't really speak for her, but I assume-"
"You two are friends, right? I would think you'd know what she intends to do."
April frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "My relationship with the President's daughter is not really relevant to... well, anything. If we could just move on-"
There was a gentle hand on her shoulder and she glanced up to see Harrison standing beside her.
"Sir?" she murmured.
"Let me talk to them."
April hesitated and then nodded uncertainly, stepping to the side.
She started to move back to stand next to Nathan as Harrison began to speak.
"I have an announcement I'd like to make, in regards to my daughter, Penny."
April's eyes widened and she was back at the podium in a flash, covering the microphone with her hand as she stared up at Harrison.
"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed.
"April-"
"We have not discussed this yet or planned what you're going to say, you can't do this now."
Harrison placed his hands gently but firmly on April's arms and moved her out of the way. She stared at him, open-mouthed, until she felt a tugging on the back of her jacket, pulling her backward.
She glanced up at Nathan as he took hold of her arm and he shook his head at her, his jaw clenching slightly.
"Stop him," she whispered fiercely.
"How?" Nathan asked, looking at her helplessly. "Short of bodily dragging him away from the podium, there's not really anything we can do."
April blew out an irritated breath and turned her attention back to Harrison as he took a breath to speak.
"A few weeks ago my daughter found out that she's pregnant."
A murmuring swept through the room and April closed her eyes, covering her face with her hand.
"This is such a disaster," she said softly as she shook her head.
Nathan shushed her, laying a quelling hand on her arm to cease her restless shifting. Sam stood motionless on the other side of Nathan, his hands clasped in front of him, his gaze on the floor as he shook his head almost imperceptibly.
Harrison waited for the murmuring to die down before he spoke again.
"I have seen and heard the speculation running rampant throughout the city, and throughout my own administration, wondering why I suddenly became so intent on putting together the research team, and now you know. Three weeks ago this hit me on a very personal level and my motivation now is to not only prevent what will become the inevitable extinction of the human race should this problem go unchecked, but to save my daughter. And before any of you start judging her, or decide to portray her in a negative light, let me tell you this: my daughter is a smart, conscientious woman. Anybody who knows her can attest to this. So before anybody starts thinking that she's irresponsible or wasn't being careful, consider this instead: this is a problem that affects everybody, and this is why we need to find out what it is and put an end to it as soon as we possibly can."
Harrison stopped speaking and the assembled press exploded into questions. April stepped forward, insinuating herself between Harrison and the podium.
"There will be no further questions tonight. An official statement will be released tomorrow. Thank you."
The four of them left the platform, and when the door was closed against the shouting members of the press, April whirled on Harrison, glaring at him so fiercely that he took a step backward.
"I am so angry with you right now." She paused, her hands on her hips; she looked as though she was trying very hard not to lose it completely. "That was completely reckless and... and unnecessary and quite possibly the dumbest thing you have ever done."
"April, I had to."
"No, sir, you didn't. It could have waited, it should have waited."
"April-"
"I don't want to talk about this now." She held up her hand as she started to move away from him. "Tomorrow." She turned to leave, took three steps towards the door and then spun around again, pointing a finger at Harrison. "There is one thing you need to do right now. You need to call Penny and tell her what you just did before she sees it on the news tonight or splashed all over the front page of every newspaper and tabloid on the east coast in the morning." Harrison nodded solemnly. "And I wonder, Harrison," April continued, making this one of the very rare occasions where she used his first name, "what will Penny think of the way you've been handling her personal life lately?"
Harrison watched her go, knowing just how right she was and knowing how much harder her day would be tomorrow. He felt a tug of guilt at the thought.
He glanced over and saw Nathan speaking animatedly with the head of the Secret Service; he knew he was ordering extra protection for Penny and he sighed, closing his eyes momentarily.
When he opened them again Sam was standing in front of him, looking thoughtful.
He opened his mouth to speak and Harrison held up his hand. "Not now, Sam. I know I'm an idiot and I'm certainly not going to win any father of the year awards. We can talk about it later."
Sam looked at him a moment more before turning and striding from the room in search of April, wanting to make sure she was all right. She was angrier than he'd seen her in a long time and he hoped to calm her down before she left to go home. She wasn't in her office or the press room and he frowned as he moved through the silent corridors, ending up at his own office.
He pushed open the door and there she was, sitting on his couch and staring contemplatively at the drink in her hand.
"I already poured you one," she said quietly as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
He sat down beside her, picking up his glass and taking a sip.
"Sam?" she said a moment later.
"Hmm?" he murmured, glancing over at her.
"Tell me this is going to be okay."
He frowned slightly. "Why?"
"Because I really need for this to be okay." She laughed a little shakily and looked over at him. "And because if you say it, I'll believe it."
"It's going to be okay," Sam said, the corner of his mouth rising.
April groaned and leaned against him, her head falling onto his shoulder.
"Tomorrow is going to suck," she said and he laughed softly, his arm going around her shoulders.
"Tomorrow's going to be fine. I know you can handle this."
April sighed and clinked her glass against his.
"What are we toasting?" he asked.
"To saving the world, one botched press briefing at a time."
"That's as good a toast as any," he murmured, raising his glass to his lips.
They drank in silence for a while and then April sat up, sighing as she set her glass down on the coffee table.
"I'm going to go home and go to bed and try to forget that this happened."
They stood and Sam walked her to the door.
"Night, Sam," she said, smiling at him as she stepped into the corridor.
"Good night, April," he replied, returning her smile and watching as she walked away down the hall.
Later that night, April lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about how much she wanted to go to sleep. She watched the blades of the ceiling fan as they sliced through the air and sighed, unable to stop herself from thinking about all of the things that could happen tomorrow, of all of the things that could go wrong.
Her hand drifted over to Simon's side of the bed and felt the empty space; the sheets were cool under her fingertips, and she wished more than ever that he was right there beside her.
Later that night, Sam lay awake in bed, staring up at the shadows dancing across his ceiling as the trees outside swayed gently in a breeze. He wanted to sleep but all he could think about was the way April had felt against his side, the way her head seemed to fit perfectly on his shoulder, how easy it had been for him to put his arm around her.
His hand drifted over to the empty side of the bed and he closed his eyes against the wish that she was right there beside him.
"Sam, have you looked at this?" April asked, brandishing a piece of paper at him.
"What is it?" he asked, his fingers brushing hers as he took it from her.
Nathan and Harrison were a few paces ahead of them, deep in their own conversation. They were flanked by four Secret Service agents, one of whom was Whitman.
They were approaching the newest war memorial, erected several years ago in honor of those who had died during the war of the 20's. It was attached to a museum more generally dedicated to the period of time between the events of December 2012 and Harrison's father taking office. They were headed to the museum to approve the final look of an exhibit opening soon that detailed the beginning of George St. James' presidency.
Mid-afternoon sunlight glinted off the panes of glass that comprised the roof of the memorial, surrounding an opening in the very center; it always made April think of the oculus in the ceiling of the Pantheon. Every time she saw it she was reminded of how much she wanted to visit Rome, though she thought maybe it was best to just visit through pictures. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what the city looked like after fifty years of stagnation.
"It's an article about the press briefing the other night." She jabbed a finger at the paper as they climbed the steps. "Did you see what they called us? What does that even mean?"
Sam chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly, and April looked up at him.
"What?"
"Just... you."
"What do you mean?"
"You, getting mad over a silly little comment in an article published in a sleazy political tabloid, it's just..."
"It's just what?" April asked, her lips curving slightly.
"Nothing," Sam said, shaking his head.
April leaned towards him and plucked at his sleeve with her fingers, grinning as she opened her mouth to speak.
A sudden shout cut her off and they looked up to see a tall man standing in the center of the memorial, wearing an oddly lumpy overcoat.
April glanced over at Harrison and Nathan, watching as Whitman and the other agents stepped in front of them, reaching for their sidearms; the agents with April and Sam did the same. She could see two more agents emerging from the museum, guns already drawn and held low.
"Fifty years ago we defied God's will," the man intoned, his eyes glittering as he looked at the four of them, ignoring the agents completely. There was a calmness to his demeanor, a sense of absolute certainty that seemed reserved for the truly insane.
Sam shifted restlessly, placing himself slightly in front of April, his hand light on her forearm. April had never seen the expression on his face before and a thrill of fear shot through her.
"Thus with violence shall the great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. Your redemption draws near."
The man opened his overcoat and though she'd never seen one up close, April knew enough to recognize the bomb strapped to his torso. She gasped, recoiling slightly as he took the detonator in his hand, his thumb hovering over the small red button.
Whitman seemed to move in slow motion as he removed his sidearm from his holster and extended it in front of him; the shouts of the agents seemed strangely far away as they commanded the man to freeze. April looked over, her gaze meeting Nathan's. His expression was unreadable as he looked at her and then Sam's hand clamped vise-like on April's arm as he started to move backward. Her fingers clutched at the back of his suit jacket as she tried to make her feet move.
The man calmly closed his eyes, took a breath, and pushed the button.