Washington, D.C., State Department, Six Months Following the Stoning of Anoosh Jinnah

"Where is it?" Elizabeth McCord asked breathlessly as she stepped out of the conference room.

"I gave it to Blake." Nadine said, falling in step, matching her bosses rapid pace.

"It's legitimate?"

"Everything checks out." Nadine said. "No one's read it but it's been x-rayed and scanned."

"Laura Tennier didn't read it? I thought it was sent to her?"

They reached her outer office by then and Blake rose, a small envelope in his hand. "Laura was sent her own letter. She said this was inside it but she said she thought it was private and so didn't open it."

"I want to speak with her." Elizabeth said, taking the envelope from his hand.

"Yes, ma'am. I already spoke with her parents. I told them to expect your call." He followed her into her office. "Just let me know when you want me to put the call through." He and Nadine left and she sat alone in her office studying the letter in her hand.

It was just a few seconds later that she burst out of her office, surprising Blake and Nadine who still lingered nearby.

"No." She told them. "This isn't right. We all worked hard to save those girls. This may be addressed to me, but whatever it contains it belongs to all of us." She turned to Nadine. "Can you gather everyone up?"

"Yes, Madam Secretary." Nadine nodded her head. "The Conference Room B?"

"No, my office is fine."

***MS***

It took Nadine Tolliver longer than she would have liked to gather the staff. Daisy was in the middle of press conference and so they all had to wait until she was finished. Fortunately, news of the letter had not been leaked to the press. Nadine was greatly relieved that Daisy didn't have to try and stall any questions. They finally gathered back in Elizabeth's McCord's office forty-five minutes after Blake had placed the letter in her hand. Nadine, Jay and Matt sat on the couch in her outer office, with Blake and Daisy settling into the chairs that were across from it. Blake rose, as Secretary McCord stepped out of her office. The letter, still opened in her fingers.

"Ma'am." He indicated the chair he'd just left.

"No, that's alright, Blake. I'll stand. Go ahead. You sit."

He nodded his head, and sat back down in the chair. She stood between Blake in his chair and Nadine, who sat at one end of the couch.

"We just received this today, Daisy." She said, filling in the press secretary. "No one has read it. It was sent to Laura Tennier, who also got a letter. We believe it was written by either Anoosh, or Majara Jinnah."

"But how . . ." Daisy's eyes grew wide with shock.

"We believe she had written maybe in the first days of her imprisonment. We aren't sure. Maybe two days before she was killed. It was passed along to a cousin who brought food and then has passed hands several times, until it arrived at Laura Tennier's home." Blake told them.

"It didn't seem right to open without all of us here. I know we all still feel the sting and pain of this. We've moved forward and moved on, but Anoosh is with us still."

"Go ahead, Ma'am." Nadine said gently. "Open it."

"Alright." She cleared her throat and with trembling fingers, opened the envelope.

"United States Secretary McCord, I am writing to during what will be some of my last days. I know and understand this, and I am not afraid. I have heard how you have been trying to do what you can to stop my death. But you must know that you will not be able. Before they took away everything; before they locked us up. Majara showed me your picture and told me of your work to help all children. It is why we asked our friend Laura to see if she could speak with you. But we did not do so to save ourselves. We are resigned to our deaths."

She paused looking up at her staff, circled around her. Matt had risen from his chair, to move closer to Daisy, and without saying a word, Jay moved over to the open chair so that Matt could settle beside Daisy, who already had tears gathering in her wide eyes. Recognizing that making eye contact with any of them, would result in her own tears, she ducked her head, returning to the letter.

"We did not ask Laura to speak with the United States to be saved. We knew we were past saving. Our father is firm in his convictions; firm enough to lift a rock and throw it toward his own daughter. But Majara and I are not alone. There are many girls like us in Pakistan, and in other parts of the world. We wish for more than we have been given. Majara is so clever. She learned to read when I did, though she was much younger, and has read every book we own. She loves science and understands it so completely. She would make such a good scientist. But instead she will die, surrounded by her family. But I will be with her. I write this in hopes it will reach your hands. I write this to say thank you for all you already doing. I write this to say that I am sorry, and you must not blame yourself when our death comes, as we know it will. But I write this mostly, to ask; not to beg you - that we not be forgotten or ignored. I write this pleading on behalf of girls everywhere just like Majara and I who want so much more. We share this earth, and we "have an obligation to leave a better world to our children'. I read that in one of your speeches and I pray now that you believe it. I pray it is true. I send you this, my last letter, written by my own hand as I wait to die, so that you will hear my voice long after I am dead, and in prayer that you will continue this cause. I send this to you with hope. Anoosh and Majara Jinnah."

She exhaled loudly, the only sounds in the room of soft tears. She turned to Blake.

"I'll take that chair now." Her voice, which had been almost steady through the reading of letter, was broken now.

Blake sprang up, tears in his own eyes, and taking her hand, guided her to the chair. He did not, however, let go of her hand when she sat. Instead, he leaned against the arm of the chair, his hand still holding hers. They were silent a long moment, lost in shared grief; in shared tears.

"Jay?" Nadine said after a long moment. "Can you get that bottle from my desk?"

"Yes, ma'am." He said softly rising and leaving the room quickly.

"We need glasses, Blake." Nadine said softly.

He nodded his head, and squeezing his boss's' hand lightly, he let go her fingers, and disappeared, returning the same time as Jay with a tray of glasses.

Nadine rose. "You pour, Jay." She said, clearing her throat.

"In Greek times," Matt said rising, pulling Daisy up with him. "They always lifted a glass to those who had fallen. They would lift their glasses to the heaven and remember all the great heroes who came before them, swearing an allegiance to honor them with their lives."

They gathered around the tray, and then turned to look back at Secretary McCord who still sat in the chair, her head down.

"Ma'am," Blake said, gently. He moved closer to her, a glass outstretched to her. She rose slowly, and though her face was streaked with tears, they could see the usual fire and determination in her eyes.

"I swear allegiance to Anoosh; to Majara and to their dream. I shall endeavor from this day forth to end the suffering to all girls - of all children worldwide. It is a promise I take with me unto the grave." She said lifting her class.

"My allegiance also." Blake said.

"And mine." Nadine said.

They all agreed lifting their glasses high above their heads, and the sound of clinking glass rang like a bell; a declaration.

They stood some minutes longer, until Blake gathered all the glasses on the tray. They turned to her, awaiting her instructions.

"Daisy, release the letter to the press, as soon as possible, and Blake, can you get Laura on the line." She said to them.

"Do you have any comment?" Daisy asked.

"Yes." She said. "Tell them I stand with Anoosh."

Daisy nodded her head, and they filed out of her office until only Nadine remained. She returned to her desk, the envelope still in her fingers. "Can you ask Daisy to make a copy of the letter for me?" She asked Nadine. "I want to show it to my daughters."

"Yes, Madam Secretary." Nadine nodded her head. She glanced at the phone on her desk. "Laura Tennier is on the line, Ma'am."

"Yes." Elizabeth said. She reached for the phone, but paused to meet Nadine's eyes. "Thank you, Nadine."

Nadine, hesitated, a lone tear, escaping and rolling down her face. "I'm not often wrong, Ma'am." She said and Elizabeth furrowed her brows confused. "I thought you were in over your head when you first took over. I thought the President a fool to choose you; that you were not a politician and that you couldn't possibly learn everything you needed to know. I thought we'd spend all our days teaching you."

"Nadine, don't . . ." She began, but her Chief of Staff uncharacteristically cut her off, interrupting.

"Ma'am, I will telling people for the rest of my days that I served with you. It will remain my highest honor and my greatest privilege." She nodded her head. "Thank you, Madam Secretary." She turned and left the room closing the door behind her.

Elizabeth McCord, waited a long moment, gathering herself before lifting the phone to her ear.

"Laura?" She said, her voice even. "I am Elizabeth McCord, and I wanted to thank you personally for sending that letter to me. I cannot express how grateful I am. I cannot express how grateful we all are for what you did for Anoosh and Majara. And I am sorry things didn't turn out the way we wanted them to, but I wanted to tell you about some things that we are planning on doing for the future. I wanted you to know the things you set in motion."

***MS***

Author's Note: I just had to add a little, tiny bit more. I couldn't have Anoosh and Majara forgotten. Although, what I wanted was to write a story about Elizabeth failing because at this point she's going to have to - probably during this season. And although the story of Anoosh and Majara is a fictional account - we all know this is something happening all around our globe.

I would like to believe that there really is someone in our government who would hold a tender spot for girls like Anoosh, and Majara who deserve all the rights my own daughter has. I enjoy watching Madam Secretary because it is refreshing to see true civil servants, and I know there must be some out there - people like Jay, Nadine, Matt, Blake, and even sometimes-annoying Daisy - people determined to make this world a better place. I would like to think that there exists an Elizabeth McCord; a true leader with solid support at home endeavoring to cut through all the garbage and get to the heart of it all - making this world better.

Let it be true for all of us everywhere, someday soon.