I. Emily

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He laughed.

"Mae's tough for sure."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She nodded.

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

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

"You really think so?"

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

She smirked.

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

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

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

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

Emily chuckled.

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

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

"That is not true!" he argued.

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

"It was important and I had a deadline."

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

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

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

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

She frowned.

"What is it?"

"I've been seeing Seth."

"Our Seth?"

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

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

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

"I'll do what I can."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Whoa? Who's he?"

"The guy I'm seeing. Seth."

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

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

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

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

"Who I date is none of your business!"

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

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

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

"Nadia, we're not finished here!"

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

Aaron cursed under his breath.

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

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

"False equivalency, Emily."

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

He smiled a little at her statement.

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

"You should apologize to your cousin."

He sighed.

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

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

"I like the way you think."

II. Aaron

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

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

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

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

"It seems awfully early."

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

"What are you suggesting?"

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

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

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

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

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

"You want to do this personally."

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

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

"Thank you, Sir."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I will."

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

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

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

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

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

"I've done well so far."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'll do my best."

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

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

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

"Do you still have my key?"

"Of course."

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

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

"I'll be waiting."