Takes place during 1x16 "Party Lines"

Disclaimer: I don't own Designated Survivor.

The first time had been after the Senate vote over the gun control bill. Seth had retrieved his Macallan from his office and President Moss had promptly sent for champagne with a solemn lesson to Emily about making sure it was always on hand for votes- not arranged by her, that would be bad luck- but by a lower-ranking aide. Just in case.

Eventually, Alex had retired first, long after the pizza was eaten and the champagne was finished. The Presidents had said their goodnights after one last drink, leaving Seth and Emily to polish off the last of the scotch.

"Oh, Sasha, leave it. I'll get it later." Emily waved her hand carelessly as her assistant came in again to start cleaning up the glasses, "Go home, Sasha. You've deserved it."

Sasha, who had cut herself off after one glass of champagne, hesitated as she regarded her inebriated boss. "Emily, would you like me to call you a car?"

Emily shook her head, "No, no, I'll get this cleaned up and head home later, after I've sobered up a bit." She got up briskly but wobbled a bit on her heels, nearly knocking the glass out of Seth's hand as she swung her arms around to regain her balance.

"You can call me a car." Seth declared, also getting up off the couch, "Get home safe!" He called as he ambled out of Emily's office. Sasha followed dutifully.

"There's a few aides left doing some late-night work if you need anything. Goodnight and congratulations." Sasha told her before shutting the door of the office.

Emily waved at her a beat too late, then poured herself a glass of water before sitting heavily down on the couch, some water splashing over the rim. She felt her phone buzz and she groped blindly for it, finally locating it under a pillow, wedged between the cushion and the back of the couch. There were 15 new notifications, mostly minor news alerts and a few returned emails, but one notification stood out next to all of them.

Hey- congrats. It was a close win.

Emily smiled to herself, her fingers flying across the keyboard with surprising accuracy as she responded.

Thanks. Feel like celebrating?

She hadn't even put her phone down before it buzzed again with a response from Aaron.

Sure, but I'm a few drinks in already.

Perfect. You won't have to catch up then. You still have that leftover case of beer from the last celebration?

Aaron replied promptly again. Yeah. Meet my place in 20.

Emily finished her water quickly, her head already clearing up as she began to gather her things. Clear enough to wonder what she was doing, but not clear enough that she could talk herself out of her impulsiveness driven by the alcohol and the euphoria from her first big win as White House Chief of Staff. The truth was, she really missed Aaron and celebrating the vote without him at her side had felt wrong. The last few days had been stressful, to say the least. It wasn't just the job, but the absence of Aaron's extra hands to help sort through each day's crisis along with his unending support. The truth of the matter was she needed him around.

…

He greeted her with a hug once she stepped out of the car outside his building.

"Hey," he said with an easy smile and Emily smiled back up at him.

"Shall we?"

Aaron gestured for her to lead the way up the steps of the brownstone, one hand gently guiding her from its position on the small of her back. He smelled of whiskey and his familiar cologne and Emily reveled in the warmth from the proximity of his body in contrast with the cool night air.

"So, beer, wine, something stronger?" Aaron offered as he helped Emily out of her coat inside his apartment.

"Beer." Emily decided resolutely.

"Just as well, I'm all out of wine." Aaron noted with interest as he peered into his fridge.

Emily perked up as an idea came to mind, "That Thai place delivers to your neighborhood, doesn't it?"

Aaron chuckled, "Are you hungry?" He handed her an open beer and she sipped it, nodding, already pulling her phone out of her pocket. He watched as she ordered quickly and efficiently, rattling off his address as if it were her own while he loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves.

"So you and Hookstraten were celebrating as well?" Emily asked, meeting his eyes over her bottle.

"Yeah, it was a good win. You did some good work, Emily." He said, taking a seat on the couch and she followed suit, sinking into the cushions.

"I couldn't have done it without you." She said honestly.

Aaron smirked, "And that scotch I left you?"

Emily laughed as she tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"So, celebrating with President Moss, huh? That must've been a fun time." Aaron remarked dryly, "I'm almost sad I missed it."

"Well, it's just as you would expect from a man who likes to enjoy all the benefits of living in the White House. I'm just sorry you weren't there to see the look on Alex's face when he sent Sasha for a bottle of champagne from the reserves." Emily scoffed a little as she remembered the elegant, but alarmed look on the First Lady's face.

Their food arrived and they recounted their sides of the story watching the votes come together for the bosses, Emily responded with sympathetic outrage as Aaron detailed Senator Bowman's attempt to edge Hookstraten out of her own party while he reacted with concern when Emily explained the First Lady had nearly jeopardized the vote after exchanging words with the Senators as the Dirksen Senate Office.

Emily felt her exhilaration building from the buzz from the beer and Aaron's warm eyes watching her, smiling at their big win. Her first Congressional vote and even out of the West Wing, Aaron still managed to have her back and help the President out from across party lines.

"Aaron, do you miss it?" She asked suddenly. Do you miss us? Do you miss me?

His eyes locked on hers. "All the time." He said quietly and her heart pounded as his finger moved to stroke over the back of her hand. She turned her hand to take his fingers in her hand. His cheeks were flushed, from the alcohol, the contact between them, she wasn't sure.

"You should have been there to celebrate with us." Emily told him, surprised by how steady her voice was despite her racing pulse.

Aaron shifted closer to her, his eyes studying her, seemingly outlining every contour of her face, "I think I prefer our own private celebrations." He said in a low voice that made heat rush to her cheeks. And just like the night of celebrating the confirmation of MacLeish, she wasn't sure who leaned in first, but soon they were kissing and Emily had to hold back a moan at the aching familiarity of it all. His fingers wove through her hair as hers wrapped around the base of his neck, pulling him closer to her. His tongue parted her lips as he deepened the kiss and this time, Emily couldn't hold back a moan. Aaron groaned in response, his hands pushing the blazer off her shoulders. Emily reciprocated by tugging off his tie and yanking his shirt roughly from his pants. Aaron sat back on the couch, pulling Emily along with him until she was straddling his lap, her hair falling down as a curtain over their faces. She made fast work of his shirt as his fingers deftly unzipped her dress.

"Are we sure about this?" Aaron panted before moving his lips to her neck, Emily threw her head back, allowing him more access.

"Y-yes. Oh God, yes." Emily gasped as his fingers caressed the bare skin of her back. She heard Aaron chuckle smugly against her skin so she retaliated by grinding down on the unmistakable bulge in his pants, earning another groan from him.

"I think we waited long enough." She whispered into his ear before tracing her lips down his jaw like she had imagined doing many times before.

"Then we should do this right." Aaron pushed them off the couch and began walking them backwards to his bedroom as Emily wrestled with his belt buckle, their lips locked in a frenzied kiss.

…

She woke hours later, to the bedside clock flashing 4:23 AM. His arm was draped over her waist so she moved slowly as to not wake him. Turning over slowly to her other side, she marveled at the peaceful expression on his face as he slept soundly on his side facing her, his lips parted slightly. Emily brought up a hand to cup his cheek, running her thumb lightly over his cheekbone before pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. He stirred slightly, but didn't wake, so Emily carefully extracted herself from the bed, picking up the trail of clothing that led her back to the living room where she located her Blackberry on the coffee table. She quickly tossed the containers from their takeout and downed a glass of water before throwing on her jacket and slipping out of the apartment.

"Sasha, can you find me some-,"

"Aspirin? On your desk already. I can send an intern in to clean up as well." Sasha relayed dutifully as she met Emily at the staff entrance of the White House.

Emily sighed gratefully as Sasha had likely predicted, her apartment had been fresh out of anything to cure her slight hangover, "You're a lifesaver, Sasha." She breathed, accepting the briefing file and coffee from her reliable assistant. "Anything big?"

"Nothing that can't wait until you've settled in for the day. Mostly herds of congratulations about the vote, a couple of rescheduled meetings."

"Thanks." Sasha nodded and continued down the hallway as Emily reached her office. Her phone began buzzing the second she stepped inside to the sight of last night's celebrations.

"Hey." She answered casually. She had been expecting him to call all morning after she'd snuck out of his apartment before they had a chance to talk about what happened.

"Congratulations. I just got in and they're all calling it a big win for the President."

"And for the Speaker." Emily replied, setting her things down on her desk. She paused for a second, "She took a big risk and it paid off." She noted, biting her lips as she held back a smile.

All that waiting, all those stolen glances and hinting conversations, finally leading to a night of well-deserved celebration, the satisfying release of the building sexual tension between them.

"Yeah, we're not feeling so bad about it."

She could practically see the smug smirk on his face as he said those words.

The look on his face as he thrust into her for the first time, their foreheads pressed together as his eyes bore deep into her soul, her inner muscles tightening around him, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut as a drawn-out moan escaped his lips.

"We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Sounds like we will be." Emily replied without missing a beat.

He rolled off her after a few seconds, both of them laying on the backs as they caught their breath. Aaron turned his head to her, "Worth the wait?"

Emily laughed, rolling over onto her stomach, reaching her hand out to lace her fingers with his on his chest, "Absolutely."

"Looking forward to it." Aaron said smoothly.

You don't know the half of it.