Side by Side Chapter 9, a chicago pd fanfic

Hailey Upton stood next to Jay Halstead. Both of them were outside of the Capitol Building, not far from the lectern where the day's events were being conducted. Taking a moment to look around, Upton felt patriotic pride in how resplendent the building looked, as did the military, brass bands, and even the enormous crowd. There was no doubt that a lot of people loved Kim Burgess, for the crowd went back as far as she could see towards the Washington Monument.

"Quite something, isn't it?" Halstead said quietly.

"I'll say. Imagine all of that being for you?"

Vice-president-elect Dawson had already been introduced, as had all of the other relevant dignitaries. Mr Ruzek was already standing at the front of the group, to the right side of the lectern. Upton could see two bibles sitting on his chair. They would soon be used to swear his wife into the most powerful job in the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the president-elect of the United States, Kimberly Marina Burgess!"

The loud cheer from the crowd below surprised Upton. Vice president-elect Dawson had received nothing more than disinterested applause. For the public, this show really was about one person, it seemed.

With one of the several brass bands playing, Burgess walked out of the building and into view. Upton tried to imagine how she would feel as she saw the crowd for the first time. If she was awed by it, she didn't show it. She moved slowly past the dignitaries, shaking hands and saying hello. Each living ex-president received a handshake. Then Dawson received one, along with something approaching a hug. Lastly, there was Ruzek. Husband and wife shared a peck on the cheek.

With her entrance made, Burgess had to hand the limelight over to others for a few minutes. Next up was Dawson's swearing in as vice-president. Upton half listened in as he took his oath, but she kept her eyes and attention on Burgess. The odds of one of the dignitaries attacking her were astronomical, but it was Upton's job to be ready to protect Burgess at all times. At all times meant at all times.

After Dawson's swearing in was complete, there were another couple of speeches. Upton joined everyone else in not caring what was being said. A choir then sang America the Beautiful. With that done, it was finally time for the moment the people in attendance and the millions of viewers around the world had been waiting for. Burgess still didn't look nervous, Upton saw. Stoic was the word that came to mind.

The Chief Justice was introduced, to administer the presidential oath of office, and everyone was asked to stand.

Another cheer went up as Burgess and Ruzek stepped forward. She gave a single wave to the crowd, and Upton noticed that she had taken her gloves off. It was likely expected of her to place a bare hand on the bible, she imagined. Ruzek held the two bibles, and Burgess put her left hand on top of them.

"Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Kimberly Marina Burgess, do solemnly swear..."

Burgess raised her right hand. "I, Kimberly Marina Burgess, do solemnly swear..."

"That I will faithfully execute..."

"The office of President of the United States."

"And will, to the best of my ability..."

"Preserve, protect and defend..."

"The constitution of the United States."

"So help me God."

"So help me God," Burgess said with passion in her voice.

"Congratulations, Madam President," the Chief Justice said, offering a handshake.

A cheer went up from the huge crowd, the dignitaries started applauding, and a band began to play.

It's official, Upton thought as she watched another round of handshakes get underway. Kim Burgess was America's first female president, for better or worse.

"Let's see what she says," Halstead muttered.

"Hopefully something to calm the tensions a bit," Upton replied, more in hope than expectation.

Finished with the handshakes, Burgess put her gloves back on and stepped up to the lectern to speak.

Over the next twenty minutes, Upton got to witness and hear a Burgess speech in person for only the second time, the first having been the victory speech on election night. There was no denying that she had a way with words, or at least her speech writer did. The thing that really swept the audience away was the delivery, though. Every word seemed to come right from the heart. Upton had heard a lot of people speak in her time, and she somewhat grudgingly had to admit that Burgess was probably the best of the lot. Charisma could get you a long way in life, apparently.

The speech covered several topics, ranging from solving the virus crisis, to a foreign policy of starting no more regime change wars, to jobs and the economy. Lastly, Burgess came to law and order, supposedly the issue that had won the election for her if analysts and experts were to be believed.

"Fixing the economy in the long term was why I originally decided to run for president. People told me I could run, but I would never win. But my father told me, 'Who dares, wins!' I dared, and I won! So we will fix the economy, creating the jobs that working Americans want and need. But you cannot have prosperity unless you have order. And you cannot have order unless you have the rule of law. That is why tackling the ongoing rioting and lawlessness is my first and top priority."

Here we go, Upton thought, sighing inwardly as she sensed Burgess was going to wind up her speech with a rant.

"To that end, I am announcing several measures that will be introduced tomorrow via executive order, and later put into law. Peaceful protest is the right of all citizens, but rioting, looting and violence are not. That is domestic terrorism, and it will now be classified as such. Under this executive order and the ensuing law, domestic terrorists damaging public or private property will be committing offenses punishable with ten years in prison. The penalty for assaulting a person during rioting will be ten years in prison. We must also have respect for our fantastic police forces, therefore the penalty for assaulting a police officer under any circumstances will be increased to twenty years in prison."

Upton remembered hearing those draconian ideas from Burgess herself. They were actually being put into practice.

"Further, since we have seen more than six months of incompetence from state governors and city mayors in policing their cities, the executive order, and the ensuing law, will allow the federal government to deploy the National Guard at the discretion of the president in order to quell any rioting that occurs. Make no mistake about it, the rioters are enemies of America. Appeasement would achieve nothing with those people. The only way to stop the rioting and destruction is to make sure those are cleared from the streets, and that their lawlessness never shames our nation again. It will not be an easy battle in which to triumph, but I guarantee each and every one of you right here and now, we will triumph, and we will stop the rioting. 'Who dares, wins!' We dare! We will win!"

A loud cheer of approval came from the crowd, along with applause. A standing ovation, in fact, Upton saw as she took a look at the crowd for herself. Personally, she felt deeply uncomfortable. So much for healing the nation and bridging the divide. Burgess was practically declaring war on some of her own citizens, and using an executive order to override local government in the process. There was going to be a lot of anger out there in country, in stark contrast to the rapturous applause that was still filling the air in Washington, DC. The applause had actually cut Burgess off in her stride and somewhat stopped her ending the speech with the right flourish.

"God bless you all, and God bless America!" the president exclaimed some moments later, but the applause for her 'We will win!' line was still going on. A chant of 'USA' started up, too.

"This is going to be a real mess," Halstead said.

"Yes," Upton agreed, picturing the violence and bloodshed on the streets getting a lot worse before it got better, assuming it did get better. That was a long way from guaranteed, in her estimation.

After the inauguration ceremony there had been lunch, more speeches, and then a military parade for the President and First Gentleman's inspection. In this case, inspection meant standing and watching.

For Hailey Upton it had been a long day already, a lot of it spent standing out in the bitter cold. The worst was yet to come. In fact it was about to come real soon. It was time for the presidential motorcade to travel from the Capitol to the White House. Tradition dictated that the president would walk part of the way, and Upton had just received clearance to allow it to happen today. One thing the president was not in charge of was her own security. The responsibility, and the pressure, was now on Upton.

As the motorcade arrived, Upton approached Burgess. It was going to be their first interaction since the inauguration as Burgess had been incredibly busy, and Upton had been doing a good job of being on hand without being in the way.

"Congratulations, Madam President," Upton offered, managing to put warmth into it.

"Thank you, Agent Upton," Burgess said graciously.

"Ma'am, I have clearance to tell you that you and the First Gentleman can get out of the motorcade and walk part of the journey if you wish."

"We'll do that," Burgess said without needing to think about it.

"Yes, ma'am. As we discussed yesterday, I'll be just behind you and to your right at all times when you're walking. If I have to direct you, I need you to do as I say at once, without question, please."

"Got it," Burgess said.

"Thank you, ma'am," Upton said, promptly taking a step back. Not for the first time, she found herself thinking that despite her criticisms of Burgess, and there were many, her attitude to her safety and to the Secret Service was first rate. She was pretty much the ideal protectee.

As she walked around and got into the front of the armoured vehicle, Upton used her wrist microphone to pass on the president's intentions. Burgess and Ruzek got in the back, and the car slowly pulled away. There were a multitude of police squad cars and motorbikes in front and behind, along with a black SUV full of Secret Service agents. More agents walked with the motorcade, surrounding it at all angles. Security had never been tighter than it was for Kim Burgess.

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Ruzek said to his wife as the vehicle got moving.

Upton could hear the pride in his voice at what Burgess had achieved. It made her want a marriage as loving as theirs for herself one day. Maybe Jay would be the man, somewhere down the line? Now was hardly the time for daydreaming though.

"Yes, so many people came out," Burgess said, looking out of her window. "I've got a lot of responsibility to these people. They're the ones who voted for me to get the nomination, and they voted for me again to beat Kelton. It's important not to let them down."

"I don't think for a minute that you'll let them down," Ruzek said.

"Oh, I won't. But I still need other people with the strength of character to get things done. Let's hope we've made the right choices for the key jobs."

"I think you have. You put enough time into the selections."

A few minutes later, with the motorcade a short way along Pennsylvania Avenue, Upton made the decision to stop it. "We'll stop here, Madam President," she said. "Please stay close to the car, and do not go any closer to the crowds."

"Smiling and waving only, got it," Burgess said.

With that, the vehicle stopped and everyone but the driver got out. Upton stuck close to Burgess as they started walking, the president holding hands with her husband and waving to the public with her other hand. Several TV cameramen were dotted around, capturing the occasion for the viewers. They were a potential threat for Upton to consider as were the throngs of people lining the streets. There was a lot of cheering and applauding, but Upton did pick up on some boos. Not everyone in attendance was a Burgess supporter, and that made the situation dangerous.

Having gotten out of the following car, Halstead caught up to Upton and walked beside her. There was no muttered banter between them this time. Their minds were totally on the job at hand. At any moment they could be required to literally bundle Burgess back into her car if the situation proved it necessary.

For several minutes the new president walked along, acknowledging the people she was now the leader of. Via her earpiece, Upton received communication from the agents on the perimeter of the protection detail.

"Crowds look bigger up ahead. I see a couple who look aggressive."

Alright, that's enough, Upton thought. "I need you back in the car please, Madam President," she said, just loud enough for Burgess to hear.

To her credit, Burgess complied straight away. The she made it look to the crowds and the TV audience that it was entirely her own decision further earned Upton's respect.

"I'd like to be able to walk the last part of the journey," Burgess said once everyone was back in the car.

"We'll assess the crowds, Madam President. If it's safe to do so, we'll make that happen," Upton promised.

"I'd rather stay in here where it's warm," Ruzek quipped.

"Shut up," Burgess said with a laugh.

Further along Pennsylvania Avenue, Burgess was indeed able to get out and walk for a second time. Upton was highly anxious the whole time, but the walk happened without incident. There were reports of rioting elsewhere in the city, and in several other cities across the country, but no one had been stupid enough to try and get near to the president.

Burgess got back into the car for the final drive up to the White House. When they arrived, Upton could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The most stressful job she had ever had to do had come to a successful conclusion. The new president had safely arrived at her new home.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who left a review on the previous chapter.

Next time, Burgess' first day in the White House.

Several reviewers have said they want to see Hailey and Jay go on a date. They will, trust me. Things are just busy for them at the moment.