High Profile
by: raile
Summary: A man, a woman and a thirteen-year-old girl with a wicked streak. Who says Senators have it easy? AU
Disclaimer: the ones you don't know are mine, the ones you do aren't.
Rating: T, to be safe
Note: written and posted December 12, 2012. Originally as a Secret Santa gift. Unfinished but will be soon enough with the chapters already done.
Chapter One: Come Fly with Me
"And then Neesa said she'll try and get Caitlin to ask Mandy to join our sleepover but then Grace said Becca didn't like Mandy because she has a big mouth but I like her and she's okay. Remember her? You met her. She was the one with the pretty braids and stuff. Mandy, her name is, but did you happen to catch her real name? Mandolin. I mean, how cool is that?"
The dark blonde whirlwind chattered away, her phone in one hand and her backpack slung over her arm as she regaled him with tales of what had transpired the night before. She'd spent most of the time Skyping with her friends, the same group of girls she'd left behind only a week prior but he knew well enough that at the age of thirteen, a week might as well be a month and god only knew what the young girl might have missed while she was away.
And apparently, her annual holiday sleepover was commencing already in terms of planning. This was her third year and it seems the guest list was growing. Logic dictated he tell her to try and hold up a little, try a little less sugar and maybe try and trim the list considering she already had eight names compared to the six from the year before. He survived six but he doubted he could do as well with nine, counting his daughter as well.
Parental guilt dictated he let her have her friends, have a social life and be thankful she had yet to reach the 'bratty' stage where dads stopped being cool and secrets were the priority. Parental guilt further dictated he be thankful she had even taken her eyes off her cellphone, a gift from a well-meaning yet also guilt-ridden pair of Washington DC-based grandparents, long enough to recognize his existence.
"Oh, my god! Natalie Flores just started following me!" came the squeal, "Ooh…and Marty-that's Martha, but she 'changed' her name to Marty-just tweeted about our homework. Ew. And Justin Bieber. Barf."
And that was his cue, he thought wryly, as he heard yet another thing about tweeting. As if texting wasn't bad enough, now there was Twitter and a cellphone with internet access at the first available change of Wi-Fi. He wasn't sure who he hated more Guilty Grandparents or Steve Jobs and his crew. iPhones, as far as he was concerned, were a yet to be determined gift/curse.
"Dad, you promise we'll make cocoa, okay? Cate needs convincing that you make the best so blowing her away is a must or else I'll have to go nuclear on her."
He chuckled, shaking his head a little and decided maybe being phased out of his little girl's world wasn't as near as he thought. "Sure, baby," he said, having the endearment slip before he could even stop himself.
Thankfully, his daughter seemed to be in a good mood and let it pass. Either that or she felt safe enough in her current anonymity in DC to worry someone might hear. Getting home to Chicago would be, of course, another story. He knew then the rules would go back as to where they were a week ago.
He was relieved he stopped short of kissing her head, as he was accustomed to do. She wasn't in the brat stage yet but even he knew dad showing too much affection was a kiss of death as early as the age of eleven. He wasn't that uncool of a dad.
"What's going on anyway…?" the girl asked just as they reached the counter as an irate woman swiftly moved past them in a huff.
-o0o-
"I told you! I told you we should have buried that bitch!"
"But—"
"I mean, the gall of that-that—"
"Eli, your heart."
The pacing stopped mid-step and Eli Gold stood stiffly, taking a deep breath that was supposed to calm him and, of course, did not. It never worked anyway but he ignored that, considering it would have to do. His phone was clutched in one hand, the other clenched into a tight fist. Next to him, his assistant sat in a seat in the back of the area that had been appropriated for them while they waited to board their flight.
Slowly, he turned, facing the direction where the voice had come from, "My heart? How about her heart? How about I rip her fuc—"
"Eli," this time the teasing had dissipated form the voice and, instead, cool steel laced itself into his name.
Diane Lockhart stood, dressed in a more understated yet stylish outfit that consisted of a simple purple dress that hugged her slender form beautifully and a pair of black high heeled peep toes with a silk bow. She had shed her black coat, favoring the controlled temperatures of the airport and felt comfortable enough not to bundle up. One article after another had already been written about her choice of clothes and had already endured favorable comparisons to the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Carla Bruni.
She had also been accused of being a clotheshorse—the less than admirable effort on the part of the opposition at the time back when she'd first ran for Governor—but that had been easily squashed.
Diane Lockhart had opened her closet to them, showing them that she did not shop exclusively in designer places and rather chose her clothes more to her tastes than tags. She had also introduced them to one of her then private endeavors for the Salvation Army and as well as various organizations that gave away clothes as well and raised money by selling them to have the profits go to fund building houses for families and as well as helping abused and neglected children.
Also, it helped that she had a former-sister-in-law who happened to be a designer who also had friends who were more than ready to help provide wardrobe for one of Illinois' favorite Democrats. She was now hailed by both the fashion magazines as well as the style sections of newspapers all over the country, often voting her one of the best dressed public figures without leaving her to be roasted for her spending.
That was still the case now as she was the newly appointed Senator Diane Lockhart of Illinois, having won the seat of Howard Lyman in the most recent Senate Elections. The former Senator had declined to vie for reelection just after the historical win of the President and Eli Gold, the brilliant political strategist who was known for his success rate and had virtually carried her towards the Governorship and now the Senate, had jumped at the chance months prior when there had only been rumors of Lyman's decision.
Now, just a month and a few days after her win, Senator Diane Lockhart was now looking forward to being granted a chance to just sit back and relax. She could not remember the last time she had a real rest, of a full night's sleep or even a moment to take it all in. The holidays were her reprieve and even though she loved and appreciated Eli Gold, she was also looking forward to giving him up to his daughter before they were due back to the trenches for the New Year. Of course, the same went with her staff. She couldn't wait to get to her home in Chicago for the holiday season.
Eli took another deep breath, nodding slowly and made a motion for his assistant to disappear and he did, without a word, slipping away from the area and left the two alone.
"I've always admired how well you've trained that young man," amusement now coated her words as well as filled the mischievous spark in her eyes, "I could only ever dream having such an…impact on people that way but it takes a certain amount of viciousness that I find rather…unnecessary."
"And that's why you have me, Senator," he said simply, stuffing both hands into his pockets and gave the most pleasant smile he could muster with his gritted teeth. "Though I do believe you're selling yourself short. You have your own brand in terms of making an impact."
The woman smiled, at first coy but then it turned playful and with a more elegant and gentler motion than his towards his assistant, she motioned for him to take a seat. He followed and they sat together, taking the molded plastic chairs linked together and sat at the back end of the row. They were, for the most part, alone, and this only meant that she'd held back the others to speak to him.
Silence at first but as was customary for them, he was waiting for her to speak first.
"Victoria Adler?"
He nodded, his neck stiff and a distinct twitch in his jaw fluttered, "Yes."
"The blast from Snark?" she asked, wrinkling her nose a little as she named Snark is the New Black, a news rag that specialized in diving through the murkier waters of politics.
Usually, their reports online and on hard copy were laced with snark and sarcasm, unearthing even the most unsavory, best kept secrets of politicians in the Midwest. They were trash, they were vicious but they were also fact-based most of the time and had indeed been instrumental in toppling the likes of Diane's predecessor.
Eli had always prided himself that his candidate had yet to grace their pages, but that would no longer be the case now as he pointed towards the iPad that had been left behind by his assistant, occupying the seat they'd left between them and glared at it.
He waited for her to pick it up, but realized she wasn't and instead, looked at him with the most neutral expression on her face. Nodding towards the offending piece of technology he took yet another breath.
"They're claiming to have detailed reports of a yet unnamed arrest from when you were sixteen," he rolled his eyes, "It's absurd and a load of crap, of course, but Victoria Adler has been named as the source of it…god knows that bitch is out for your blood, but apparently, since she can't find anything on you, she's decided desperation's route would be trying to smear you just weeks after—"
"It's not true," she smiled, chuckling a little and shook her head, "Vicky is just feeling less than merry this season, you know that, Eli. She's upset, but she's not a threat. At least, not one to give yourself a coronary for."
"We could have buried her," he said snidely, "We should have buried her."
They could have, but Diane had put a stop to that. The woman was old, bitter and, as the kids would say, pissed off but she also felt some kind of affection towards her. Victoria Adler had been her mentor in a lot of ways, back when she was just a fledgling Assistant United States Attorney. Victoria had also lent her hand and helped carry on to help her rise to taking on the Deputy position and then State.
The woman continued to smile, "She's many things, Eli, and yes, she hasn't been the friendliest these days, but...she taught me everything I know and she had her hopes. She counted on a lot of things when she put her faith in me. And now they're gone. You understand her anger?"
"Yes, but who told her to pin her other hopes on a train wreck that was Scott-Carr?" he rolled his eyes, "If she had so much faith in you, she should have stuck with this campaign, but noooo—"
"I know, I know," she smiled, "But believe me, just give her time…Vicky will come around. If not, she'll lose steam and we won't have to worry about her."
Diane would have gladly continued her friendship with Victoria and had, in fact, intended to, knowing they both worked for a lot of the same causes both in their State as well as the country, but Victoria had made an error of supporting Wendy Scott-Carr, former State's Attorney of Cook County, who had recently resigned after being accused of corruption.
Victoria had tried to shield her candidate then, tried to help Wendy and had tried to reach out to Diane weeks away from elections. Eli had put a stop to that and rightfully so since just after the Senate Elections, Scott-Carr announced her resignation from her office.
It had gotten out that Cook County Judge Victoria Adler was a close relation of Scott-Carr and she had, subsequently, been included in the backlash that followed the disgraced politician's downfall. In turn, Victoria blamed Diane, accusing her of turning her back and being ungrateful. Diane took a brunt of it, even though Eli had lashed out right back in privacy, daring Judge to deny that he had warned her about her latest protégé.
"And the rumored arrest?" he knew it was a load of crap, but he asked anyway, just to clear the air. He did not get to where he was—as well as his candidate—by being an idiot.
"A ploy," Diane smirked, "Not a very good one and, honestly, not Vicky's best but I assume she was holding back. She could make so much more noise, but she didn't. There's something left there, Eli."
"Would I even want to know what else could be left?"
"I wouldn't know," she smiled serenely, "But it's the holidays and we have a full year ahead, if I'm not mistaken...can't we just settle for now and let everyone breathe? I need it, so do you. How's Marissa?"
"Fine," he sighed, "Still making noises about heading off to Israel. She's loving the idea of needling me with the fact that I have this image of the Israeli version of her blowing her up to pieces in the middle of the desert."
"I thought she was talking about visiting a kibbutz?"
"Yeah, and of course nothing ever happens in places like that!"
She chuckled, "You are so melodramatic—"
"Excuse me!" he said, an indignant fire alighting his features.
"—but I understand," she said, raising a hand and effectively cutting him off so she could finish. "But she is every inch your daughter, Eli, and believe me, she's only just begun."
"Oh, hell, do not tell me that."
She laughed, the melodious sound filling their quiet area and drifting towards the front. It was as infectious at it always was and the political strategist found himself laughing along, only to have it cut short when he saw two men dressed in the clichéd yet apropos black suits coming towards them. Instantly, the laughter died away from his lips and he straightened up, alerting his companion who followed his gaze.
Her reaction was the same, the humor disappearing from her features to be replaced by a more serious expression as she stood up and met the two men and waited. Eli, ever alert, stood at the same time.
"Problem, gentlemen?" Eli asked coolly though he found himself clenching his fist again as his heart's pace picked up a notch. They were in an airport and to have those two obviously break the boundaries that had been set by the woman in charge had set to be able to speak to him, there had to be something serious happening.
"There's a possibility of a situation," the head of security of the detail assigned to the Senator from Chicago said in a practiced tone they only ever heard whenever he felt there was something to be worried about. "Undetermined as of now, but we're looking into it."
"What situation?" the woman asked, calm and poised though Eli was sure she was reacting just as she was inside. They were pros when it came to appearances, but he's been with her long enough to know.
"We're checking, ma'am, but we would feel much better if we can get you to a more secure area?"
"We're secure enough," she looked around, seeing the private waiting area that had been delegated to them.
Normally she would have refused such a blatant display of special treatment but since taking her position as well as the current possibilities laid out for her by the President that already had the news networks buzzing, she knew she was likely to attract more attention than usual. She didn't like this part of the job, of being a public figure, but she went on with it anyway, knowing she didn't have much of a choice.
"It's just us and my staff, surely causing more disruptions is unnecessary?" she questioned, her tone modulated in an effort to not be as difficult as possible. Their jobs were hard enough, to have a stubborn and bullheaded protectee was surely not the additional baggage that could make their jobs easier, "It's a full airport, Mr. Coyne, and the attendants are already out on a limb accommodating us as well as the passengers on this busy holiday season. Surely a bit more of a confirmation should be in order?"
"Of course, Senator, but protocol—"
"What exactly is going on, Justin?" Eli cut in, "What situation?"
-o0o-
"You're kidding."
"I'm sorry, sir, but we'd like to offer you-"
"No, no," he shook his head, "We booked this flight. We're not about to sit here for another five hours for the next one. Somebody obviously made a mistake and I don't care who as long as you fix it."
The flushed airline attendant opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again as she continued to furiously run her hands over the keyboard in her station. The flight to from Washington, DC to Chicago was fully booked already, including the extra seats and while she knew she wasn't the one responsible for that, someone sure was and she was paying for it. The man in front of her didn't seem dangerous, but he was irate to say the least and the young girl next to him was obviously uncomfortable.
But the flight was booked and there was nothing else she could do except apologize. It wasn't as if he was wrong since he had indeed booked the flight and had come in during the appropriated time for checking in. The main problem, she guessed though wouldn't dare say, was the sudden arrival of a certain group that took the rest of the available seats. With the holidays, overbooking wasn't out of the ordinary and she was pretty sure whoever was responsible had decided they could just apologize and book the other passengers to a later flight to accommodate the first ones who had arrived.
Still, even knowing that, what could she do? She just manned the desk. And it didn't help that she risked a glance at the girl again, catching sight of her light gray eyes and pale skin. She'd been such a chatterbox when they approached, now she was next to whom she assumed was the father, standing quietly with an occasional confused look on her face, sure to be wondering just what happened.
"I'm sorry, Mr.—"
"Excuse me, is there a problem here?"
The woman behind the counter froze, recognizing the face instantly after having her friend point him out before she ended her shift. She was glad she barely stammered when she explained the current situation—overbooked flight and the two passengers in front of her, who had already supposedly booked online, had lost their seats by some sheer mistake.
"And we would very much like to get back to Chicago," the man finished for her, looking just as displeased as before. If he knew the other man or if he even cared, it didn't show. Instead, he continued, "I'm due for court tomorrow and my daughter is due for an event in her school. If we take the later flight, she won't get any sleep."
"Daaaad," came the whining beside him, this time the girl inching away from her parent with the scowl that was typical of kids her age whenever parents started embarrassing them.
"Oh, you're a lawyer, sir?" Eli Gold said conversationally, a smile crinkling the edge of his eyes.
"Forensics," the other man replied, "Though I honestly can't figure why that should matter, what I do."
"Dad," this time, the girl was close to her father, tugging on his tan coat though she wasn't looking at him.
"Not now, Mad," he said simply, turning to the attendant again.
"No, dad, seriously..."
"I'm Eli Gold," the other man offered. "Now, Mr…?"
"McVeigh," he said and watched as the other's man's eye twitched a little. "Kurt McVeigh."
"McVeigh?" the suit echoed and Kurt didn't need a neon sign to realize the reason behind the reaction.
He waved his hand absently, "Changed it from Bundy."
Eli stared at him for a moment before he began to laugh, nodding as he smoothed down the front of his obviously expensive suit, "A man with a sense of humor. Very good."
Kurt shrugged, "My daughter, Madison."
The blonde, her height reaching nearly up to her father's shoulder, waved feebly behind him and muttered something that only her father seemed to hear since he reacted by shaking his head a little, more out of what seemed like a tired gesture than an impatient one.
Eli smiled in a way that told him he understood the trials and tribulations of impatient teens. He nodded slowly, closing his eyes for a moment in an effort to restrain himself before turning towards his daughter.
"I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I was just wondering if perhaps there's a problem?"
"Actually, yeah," Kurt motioned towards the counter, "Just some…errors in booking."
Eli turned to the attendant and she nodded, "We overbooked and unintentionally bumped the McVeighs. It was an honest mistake, sir."
"Of course," the man nodded, glancing at the father and daughter as the girl seemed to suddenly come to life, pulling at her father's coat almost impatiently while looking in another direction.
"Dad…?"
"Not now, Mads."
"Dad, seriously…"
"Madison."
"Dad…"
Eli was reminded of his own more headstrong offspring as he watched as the man visibly restrained himself and turned to his daughter with an expression on his face that he was also quite familiar with, "Yes, Madison?"
-o0o-
Diane Lockhart liked to think she had good instincts and she did.
It has served her well over the years and she had learned to anticipate not just in the world of politics but in her everyday life as well. It was an instinct she liked to think she inherited from her father, the reason why she was where she was. He had had big dreams for her, she had followed him and now, here she was. She'd learned early in life being an idiot didn't quite pay off as much as people thought.
And that's what led her to pulling her aide back seconds only after dispatching her to follow after Eli Gold who had volunteered to deal with the situation that had the hairs of her detail standing up on end like cats sensing danger. She wasn't surprised Eli would volunteer, knowing he would also do a damage assessment in between finding out.
Sending the aide was really something she'd decided upon by herself, wanting to at least have an idea what was happening at the counter. There was a man, a girl who had his features she assumed was his daughter and a flushed attendant. Even from the area where she was separated, she had observed through the glass walls that were free of the frost design that were popular at the moment.
The head of her protection detail, Justin Coyne, had bristled, of course, telling her it was best if she stepped back, but she didn't. She didn't mean to be a pain, but if she was honest at all, she was sick of this part of the deal. She wasn't dense, she knew the reason why her detail had been upped and the numbers added. Her position was higher, made her an even bigger target. Plus, there were also other things that were being attended to behind the scenes that were making waves even though, as of now, they were still just whispers amongst certain circles.
Her instincts kicking in, Diane realized that the upping of her detail—effective as of three days prior, the Treasury Department declaring it a precaution for the holidays though she knew better—had ended up adding to the number of seats they were taking in the plane. She had not been informed of that, not while the airline personnel had all but tripped all over themselves trying to accommodate her, the extra seats they'd gotten had obviously ended up in the 'situation' that was developing.
This was beyond what she had intended and she hoped it wasn't what Eli had disregarded as well after a rather heated debate as to whether or not the increase in security was necessary for a trip back home. Eli had won that round, but only after a few underhanded swipes of his own. There was no apology but there had been a silent communication that had Diane forgiving her political strategist-turned-Chief of Staff.
It was bad enough that something like this could get out and be taken out of context, which was almost an inevitable these days with all the blogging and tweeting in the current age. To have to be responsible in causing yet another disruption in someone else's life, especially this time of year, was not something she felt entirely too comfortable adding to things to live with.
"Stay back, Justin," she said over her shoulder after calling her aide back and ignored the look of utter surprise on the younger woman's face. She'd done far more outrageous things in the past to warrant such looks so Diane easily ignored it.
"But Sen—"
"You heard me," she said simply, "We can't afford to draw any more attention that we already have. This may be DC but you know as well as I do, the sight of an imposing man in a black suit still draws attention just because a lot of people think the Secret Service are cool."
The romanticizing of bodyguards and agents were easily something she could chalk up to literature and the media. For her, it was constricting, something she could have lived without if it was at all possible. She just wanted some room to breathe, that was all. She could do the job for ten decades or twenty, she was sure she would never quite get used to having a group of men and women follow her like living and breathing shadows.
Coyne stood back, clearly displeased, but nodded anyway although she did not miss the fact that his eyes met that of his other agents'. He will stay back, but that didn't mean they would be far. She could easily predict now that as soon as she turned her back, someone would be skirting around her radius anyway and track her as well as the people around her. She wanted to scream already but she knew better.
How the President and his family dealt with this, knowing his security would be far more constricting, heavier and stricter, she didn't know. The kids especially, she wondered of them. But she also knew their positions were direr than hers. Those children and their mother were prize targets, had reasons to be afraid. She had yet to reach that point, to feel that kind of need to be protected. Eli told her sooner or later she would feel that, but she hadn't yet. Not when she was Governor and not in the last month as Senator.
She hoped she would never feel that kind of need, knowing that if she ever did, that would mean she would be feeling a kind of fear she hasn't quite felt. It's the kind of fear she never wanted to feel because as much as possible, she liked to pretend she was normal, as normal as one could get with a job like hers.
Walking past the glass doors that separated her from the other passengers, Diane strode forward with the same grace and poise she would whether entering the Senate or someone's living room. With the coverage of the election and particularly those that had been aimed at her and her win, she knew there were people bound to take notice. People looked, huddled and leant their heads together when she passed.
Some who managed to make eye contact as they stared received a polite smile that was kind enough to cajole them into smiling back but not enough for a light to reach her eyes. Catching sight of them, people in groups, maybe friends and family, all headed somewhere together for the holidays, suddenly recalled that feeling of emptiness she'd been trying to ignore as of late.
Diane wondered if they had some sort of idea that she would easily have traded her life with theirs to have even just a little of what they had, maybe feel what they feel sharing the season with people they truly cared about and loved. She was flying back to Chicago with her staff, but they would be headed back to their own families for the holidays and while she had plans of her own, parties scheduled and old friends to see, it still wasn't quite as the same.
She shrugged off the thought, catching sight of a shy little girl ducking behind a chair and peeking at her and she smiled back, a real one this time. She could have sworn, despite the distance, she heard the giggle as the mass of curls bounced on the child's head. That warmed her heart a little but did little to quell the brush of emptiness.
Approaching the counter, the young girl with the man who was still in conversation with Eli, was the first to catch sight of her. Diane was used to meeting teens, especially during campaign season, but this one was a little younger than the typical group she met with. She couldn't have been more than fourteen at most, but judging from the jeans, sneakers, the bright red jacket and dark blonde hair that was left freely down the middle of her back and the particularly innocent look that only a child could have, she imagined the girl could be younger.
Why that struck her, Diane wasn't sure, but she smiled at the girl gently anyway and pretended not to notice her begin to tug at her father's coat.
-o0o-
"Dad, it's—" a nail painted in an electric blue peeked through finger-less gloves she wore, her eyes wide and her other hand still holding on to her father's coat.
By the time he turned, a woman was already next to him, intercepting the suit he'd just begun speaking to. His daughter clung to his side, phone forgotten in her pocket as she stared at the woman. He knew her, they both did and he was pretty sure most of the people in the area did as well.
She was the Senator who'd stolen the seat right from under Patrick Tilderbrook, the Republican whom a lot had predicted would wreak enough havoc in the current administration and add to the numbers of the members of their party.
It did not escape him how the suit stepped back, nodding almost imperceptibly as the woman took over, keeping a distance though not straying too far away. Both men's eyes met though they didn't say a word while his daughter clung to him even closer, calling him quietly though he wasn't sure if she was truly aware. He'd never quite seen that look before, but he could guess it was akin to being star struck.
"Excuse me," the Senator said in a startlingly soft voice than he had imagined though she was speaking to the attendant behind the counter, "Would it be possible to speak in private?"
"O-of course, Senator," the woman answered, smiling nervously, "But I-I could call my supervisor, if you'd like…?"
"That would be nice," the Senator smiled, "Thank you."
As if by magic, said supervisor didn't take more than five seconds to appear after the request, standing behind the counter with a gracious smile, "Yes, Senator?"
If the politician was startled by the sudden appearance of the man, it didn't show. Instead, she allowed him to lead her away, mostly in the direction from where she came from and he didn't miss the intimidating yet subtle figure in a few feet away, most probably tailing her every movement.
Kurt pretended he didn't notice the way the Senator's dress looked or the part where he wondered if she wasn't cold without a coat. He also pretended he hadn't had some kind of reaction when her eyes met his for less than a second before she was led away or how she looked even more attractive in person.
"Dad that was…" his daughter tugged at his coat insistently again, her light blue eyes still wide and full of awe and he was sure he knew what was coming next. "That was Senator Lockhart…Diane Lockhart. I've seen her on TV. She's from Chicago. She spoke at my school. She so pretty in person. Oh, my god, dad. Dad?"
Madison McVeigh hadn't babbled like that in a while and the things she said were things he knew already. She wasn't exactly one of those kids who glued themselves to CNN or the newspaper, but she knew of the woman. The coverage had been strong the last few months and he remembered the then Governor had made quite an impression on the girl when she was younger. The Senator had beaten him to being 'cool' in Madison's eyes back then too.
"Yeah," he nodded, fairly amused as he looked at his daughter but their interaction was interrupted before he could risk teasing her.
"You're on top of our waiting list and—oh," the attendant began, only to beam at him, "There's been one cancelation, sir. A seat for Chicago-"
He blinked, "One seat?"
"Yes, sir."
Kurt tried not to let his frustration resurface, "My daughter is thirteen. We're going to need two."
"It's okay, dad," Madison piped up, apparently out of her daze and poking her father on the arm with a wicked grin, "I don't mind leaving you behind."
And of course, since she was back to her smartass self, the glare he shot her way didn't do a thing. Madison only responded to that whenever she knew she actually did something wrong.
"We still have thirty minutes before boarding, sir," she said, almost quietly. "If another opens, you will be first on our list."
"Come on, dad," Madison said, sobering somewhat as she pulled his arm off the counter, "She's done her thing, let's just sit down."
The shift in her behavior had him noticing then-his teenager was pretty normal in terms of mood swings, but to go from smartass to 'the good daughter' was curious.
"You okay, Mads?" he asked as he followed her, sitting down next to her and peering at her closely.
She smiled, sheepish, "Fine, dad. Too much excitement? And," she gave him a grin, "I didn't sleep enough last night. I just wanna go home."
He nodded, putting an arm over her slim shoulders and felt even more curious as she merely slumped on him without a sign of protest or anything of the sort. "I know. I'm trying."
Kurt sat back, pulling his daughter along and closed his eyes, wondering just what the hell he'd done this time to get this trip get all bungled up. The past week had been spent doing one activity from another and he'd been for all of it, going with his daughter and his in-laws as they showed her around the nation's capital. She was beat and he knew that could explain the sudden shift and that made him want make sure they got on that flight even more.
Chicago was calling them home.
-o0o-
"Mr. McVeigh?"
He opened his eyes, blinking a little as he sat up properly and Madison untangled herself from his grasp. The same attendant stood in front of them with a smile on her face. In her hand, she held boarding passes.
"We found two seats for you and your daughter, sir," she went on, "You can start boarding in fifteen minutes."
Madison let out a sigh, "Thanks!"
Kurt reached for the papers that were being handed to him, peering at the numbers then frowned at the woman, "We're not in the same seats?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but that's the best we have," she said apologetically, "We can put one of you in business class and we can assure you that we will have someone watching over your daughter-"
"Business class?" his daughter echoed, grinning now as she perked up, "I've never flown business class before! Holla!"
"That's not acceptable," he shook his head, "You can't just think I'll let my daughter fly—"
"Dad, you are being so uncool," his daughter muttered next to him then her eyes widened, "Dad! I bet it was her! I bet it was…" she looked around, grinning to him with twinkling eyes and leaned forward to whisper as if they were sharing a secret, "The Senator."
"Madison McVeigh."
The girl looked affronted by the slight rebuke and reared back, "What? Come on, dad!"
Kurt stood up, towering over the other woman even though that was not his intention, "This isn't allowable, I'm sorry. My daughter may think she's all grown up, but no. She's thirteen."
And he knew just what exactly his thirteen year old could do sitting alone in business class. Madison wasn't, in any measure, a brat or a wayward teen, but she had her moments too. She was every inch still a kid trying to grow up faster than he would like and tended to do certain things, especially when she was excited. And heaven knew she was liking the prospect of flying business class a little too much.
The girl gave her father a snarky look, turning her nose up before glancing somewhere else. The attendant worked on placating him but by then, something else had caught the teen's attention. Later, he would smack himself upside the head and remind himself that Madison being quiet was rarely ever a good thing.
By the large glass windows, she could already see the plane but if she glanced sideways, right at the area that was closed off, she saw a familiar blob of color behind the frosted walls. She smiled, her eyes widening a little before shooting a surreptitious glance at her father who was still trying to get them a seat next to each other. She rolled her eyes the way only girls her age could before standing quietly, holding on to her knapsack. It was too tempting and the smile on the girl's face was the perfect indication of just how tempted she was.
It only took about ten seconds before thirteen year old decided, slipping her bag up her shoulder and stuffed her beloved phone protectively into her jacket pocket. With barely a whoosh, she darted off, faster than her classic high cut black Chuck Taylors could take her.
Another fifty seconds and the thirteen year old was in, clearing through the glass doors and jumping right through into the other room.
-o0o-
"Just tell Will I'll—"
Their conversation was once again cut short when they heard various voices call out and Eli shot out of his seat. Diane had her back turned to the doors so by the time she could see for herself what was happening, her aide, personal assistant and security detail were obscuring her view of the doors already, obviously trying to keep someone away.
For a moment, her mind flashed to a scenario that had her heart thumping against her chest, but then she realized her assistant was there and the security detail who'd manage to rush to her side did not have his gun drawn.
"Oh, hell, what now?" Eli grumbled as he glared at the group.
Not for the first time, Diane was thankful for having been blessed with being tall as well as making her a lover of high heels because peering through the small crowd, she spotted a familiar head of hair.
"Excuse me, Miss, you are not allowed in this area," Justin Coyne was saying.
"But I just wanted to talk to the Senator because my dad—"
"I'm sorry, that's not-"
"Justin," Diane called, not quite raising her voice though putting it the pitch she knew her head of security would easily hear.
"Ma'am—"
"Is that Miss McVeigh?" she questioned, moving towards the group, only to be served a look from Coyne, shaking his head lightly and she had to fight rolling her eyes. "Oh, for the love of…Mr. Coyne, she's—I believe—thirteen. Apart from a Facebook and Twitter account, I don't think she'll be quite armed to shoot me."
"But I can shoot a twelve-gauge shotgun," the voice piped up although she was still being blocked.
Diane couldn't help but smile at that, wondering what could possibly explain a girl her age knowing what a twelve-gauge was let alone shooting it. But it didn't help Coyne who stood there with a frown creasing his handsome features. The man was too serious for his own good, she thought. Not that she blamed him, having a job like his.
"Not that I have one right now, I mean, those things are huge," the girl went on, "And, you know, I only know how 'cause of, erm, skeet shooting."
Diane smothered the laugh that threatened to escape and instead said, "Let her through," in the Senator's voice she used when she needed it to be clear that she was leaving no room for protest and they all stepped aside, revealing the grinning teen who held a few papers to her chest.
"Hi."
"Hello."
"Uh, I only skeet shoot, I promise," Madison explained then she grinned and smiled proudly, "I'm pretty good at it…I caught a double last time."
"Wow," was the only reaction the older woman could muster, trying to recall the size of a twelve-gauge and trying to match it with the graceful teen in front of her wearing a proud toothy grin.
"I don't shoot people or anything 'cause that would be bad," Madison went on, "My dad is a forensics expert, you know, like CSI? He helps people solve crimes and stuff. But his main thing is ballistics, guns, see?" Then her eyes widened, "But he doesn't shoot people, I swear…I mean, grandpa says maybe he'll start someday, you know, when I start getting boyfriends or stuff like that, but boys are pretty stupid at my age so I'm not interested."
"Well, that's…good," she smiled, "Dads tend to react like that sometimes."
"Did your dad ever shoot a boy who liked you?"
The older woman chuckled, "Oh, my, no. My father wasn't too fond of guns. But that didn't stop him from scaring them with other things."
"Like?"
A pause, "Huh…actually, I'm not sure," she replied, as if only realizing it now, "By the time I come down, they're already terrified straight into silence."
"Oh, wow. That's almost scary, if you think about it. Very Godfather. You should ask sometime," Madison said, shrugging, "But you can only tell me. Not my dad. The guns are enough."
Diane chuckled, shaking her head slightly as she marveled at a thirteen year old girl referencing The Godfather as if it was the most natural thing to her. She was pretty sure Eli was already intending on getting every file he could on the father and daughter by now, "Can I help you, Miss McVeigh?"
"Ew," the girl wrinkled her nose, "That makes me sound so old. I'm Madison. Madison Rose McVeigh, but the Rose part is a secret…wait, why did I tell you?"
Her self-induced bewilderment caused the older woman to smile, chuckling a little behind her hand just in case the girl took offense at being laughed at. Diane took the few steps towards the girl, trying not to tower over her with her height and her shoes even though she knew it was highly unlikely.
She stood in front of the girl, not quite acknowledging the others as they moved away though Justin and another agent stood by the doors imposingly. "Well, it can be my secret too," she said, lowering her head and said in a low voice to the girl, as if it really was a secret. "And maybe I can tell you mine so we can be even."
"You have two names too?" the girl asked, almost skeptical as she peered at the woman, suddenly feeling conscious of her favorite red jacket and jeans. This was not how you meet famous people, she thought dejectedly, wondering why she hadn't dressed better for the flight home.
"Mhm," Diane hummed, "But like I said, it's a secret-"
"I promise I won't tell!" the girl said insistently.
"Well…"
"I won't Tweet or even Facebook it!" Madison said, bouncing a little. "I mean, I swear. I haven't even Tweeted to my best friend I've seen you. And she's like grown up smart, like, she watches CNN and stuff with her mom, you know? 'Cause her mom writes for the paper and everything. So she knows you, for sure!"
"Okay—" from behind Diane, Eli decided to step in at the mention of a possible link to a journalist but found himself being waved back.
"You promise?" the woman looked almost skeptical, "It's a secret, you know? Not even Wikipedia has it."
"Swear on my baby, I mean, my dog," the girl's fingerless gloved-hand shot up, "And he's, like, the most important thing in my life other than my dad. He's so cute and perfect."
Diane smiled and said, "Okay, you've convinced me," then she bent down, tucking the girl's hair behind her ear then leaned close enough to whisper her second name.
The only indication that she had indeed been told was the comical way the girl's eyes widened, remaining so when the taller woman pulled back with an impish grin of her own. The girl's hands were curled together in front of her lips, as if physically trying to restrain herself from bursting as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
"Serious?" Madison asked, smiling happily.
"Serious," she nodded, "I'm not quite a fan, but it's there, so what can I do, right?"
"It's pretty cool!" Madison declared, "Better than Rose."
"I'll switch any day," Diane teased then looked past the doors, "Where's your father, Madison? Weren't you with him? Is there a problem?"
The excitement faded a little as the girl straightened up, "Yeah, about that—"
"Madison Rose McVeigh."
"Uh-oh," the girl muttered.
"Busted?" Diane asked, muttering to her as well.
Justin had obviously relaxed enough to let someone in and this time, it was the girl's father.
Madison deflated a little, "Yep."
Diane stopped the laugh that threatened to bubble up and turned towards the parent standing next to her head of security. It was only then she noticed he had the same shade of light blue eyes as his daughter though their hair color contrasted—his dark that was almost black hair with brushes of gray here and there worked favorably well for him while her dark blonde hair seemed even lighter under the lights. They shared the same lips although she couldn't tell for sure, considering that the man looked furious with his jaw set and his mouth stiff. She didn't know why but somehow, she imagined his smile would be nice.
"Dad, I was just—"
"You do not wander off," the father said, his voice clearly stating he was not at all amused by his offspring's stunt. "And while we're at it, you do not go on barging into places."
Diane glanced at the girl, noticing that she had moved from standing in front of her to beside her and had to force herself not to speak up. She knew well enough than to interfere with parents when disciplining their children, no matter whether or not she was included in the why. She knew it was essential that parents not be undermined in front of their children, especially in crucial moments like discipline.
"But I just wanted to—"
"Mads," he man sighed, as if suddenly running out of steam, "You made me worry."
"I'm sorry," the girl said, her voice lower and Diane felt her smaller hand curl around hers and she was glad she hid her surprise and stopped herself from stiffening. It seemed as if it was the most normal gesture between her and the girl despite the fact they'd only met barely ten minutes prior.
"It's okay," her father said then finally allowed his attention to fall on the woman next to his daughter. He tried not to wonder just what it was that had Madison reaching towards the woman like that. It wasn't just because she'd seen her on TV, he knew just by the way she'd sought out her hand. It was almost familiar, natural in a way that had him suddenly feeling a lump on his throat. "I'm sorry, Senator, my—"
"It's alright," Diane smiled, "She just wanted to speak to me although she hasn't had the chance to say why."
Perking up at being let off the hook—if she wasn't, her dad would have dragged her back to her seat already where he could properly chastise her-and spoke up, "It's about the seat you got!"
"Got?" Diane tried to appear confused even though she knew exactly what the girl was talking about.
"Yeah, the one in business class?" the girl bounced again, "You know I have never flown business? Dad has, for work, but I don't get to come because his work—"
"Mads…"
The girl barely took a breath, "Anyway, dad's all antsy about the whole part where we can't sit together and since he's being so uncool, I just wanted to know if there was a way we could sit together? Doesn't have to be business class and all, really. I'll live. Dad's just being paranoid and it would be nice to needle him but I've had the best week and I don't wanna ruin it for us…so, erm, actually, that's it."
"Madison," Diane said gently, smiling at the girl, "I tried, believe me, but the airline was already booked and…well, I can try and get your dad in business, but-"
"No, it's fine," Kurt shook his head, "Mads just likes to…exaggerate."
"What? Dad!" the teen obviously took offense at being made to look bad.
"Hey, Madison?"
"You can call me Mads or Mad," the girl grinned, "I like both. I get mad a lot…crazy or pissed-"
"Madison Rose, language!"
The girl met the older woman's eyes and rolled her own, further amusing her, "Either way, I get mad a lot. Works for me."
"Alright, Mads," Diane tried out the name and found she liked it too, "Why don't you chat with Mr. Gold for a bit? I'm going to try and talk to you dad…see if we can sort this out?"
"But—"
"We'll be right here," she said soothingly although the way her eyes met Coyne's, who was still very much there in the background, "We won't be long."
"Hey Mad," Eli said, appearing next to the girl then, "The Senator actually has a Twitter account, why don't you try and see if we can follow each other, hm?"
Madison looked at the woman next to her, "For real?"
Diane chuckled, shaking her head a little, "I'm trying to get the hang of it and so far I haven't Tweeted any state secrets so it's a work in progress."
"That is so cool…" the girl said, happily following Eli and Diane pretended not to notice how easily her hand slipped from hers and how it made her miss the warmth she hadn't even realized was there almost immediately.
Once the girl was well out of earshot, plopping next to Eli Gold with a tablet, Diane turned to her father.
"Your daughter," she smiled a little.
"Yeah," Kurt nodded, "Thirteen and…a whirlwind."
"I can see that," she grinned, "I'm sorry…we haven't been properly introduced—"
Kurt nodded, "I know who you are…I'm Kurt McVeigh."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. McVeigh," she said and they shook hands and steadfastly, she ignored the thought that his hands were warmer than his daughter's though softer than she imagined. "I understand…about the seats. I apologize. I believe we were the, erm, party that led to the complications, most likely caused the overbooking."
"I guessed as much," the man said simply and she almost laughed at that, more out of surprise than anything. If it had been others, they would have brushed it off and laid blame somewhere else. His different approach was most refreshing. She liked the streak of honesty.
"Well, I apologize," she said, glancing behind her to catch Madison with Eli, "She seems to be a good girl…and the ticket's been paid for and she obviously wants to go home. So do you."
"Paid for?" he frowned a little, "Yeah, about that…sure that was a smart way of using taxpayer's money?"
Diane bit the inside of her cheek, "It's not taxpayer money, I assure you."
"You paid?" he asked, surprise evident in his features.
She waved a dismissive hand, "You'll not be too far and—"
"Excuse me, Senator, I get it, but," he paused, shaking his head a little and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand consciously, "She's my daughter. I hope you understand."
"I know, I do," Diane nodded, pausing then thought for a moment before looking at him again, "But…how about a compromise?"
"How?"
She motioned towards her aide who was standing not too far away, "I can arrange for Madison to be seated next to me. Mr. Coyne, my head of security, will be onboard with us. She will be looked after just as I will be by him and his team."
Kurt thought for a moment, weighing his options.
"DC is about to get more snow," Diane said, softly as her eyes drifted towards the windows where the skies were quite gray and drab. "And even though Madison seems exuberant now, I notice she's quite pale…I'm not sure if that's normal with her, but with the weather? I think getting home would be better…for both of you. It's going to be colder in Chicago as well, but at least she'll be home where she can be comfortable and get bundled up, surrounded by the things she loves, where she's most comfortable."
His head shot up at the mention of his daughter. Kurt had noticed the way his daughter's skin seemed paler than usual but he hadn't expected a stranger would. Add the way Madison's mood seemed to swing more than usual, he couldn't deny he'd entertained the idea that she was catching something. The fact that the Senator had noticed, he didn't quite know how to take that exactly.
"I'm sure she misses her bedroom," the woman added after a brief pause, smiling.
He quirked his eyebrows, wondering whether he was more amused or, dare he say, touched that she was turning out to be less than a phony (or a real damned good actress) than he could ever imagine a politician ever being. Not that he's even come this up close and personal with many. Of course he knew Madison missed her room, but he was curious as to how a complete stranger seemed to be so attuned to his child in a way that he sometimes forgot to know how to.
"Mhm," Diane nodded, "Let's just say I know a thing or two about missing the comforts of home."
Their eyes met again and this time, it was the formidable woman who looked away first, a curious twitch in the corner of her lips catching his attention before he found himself nodding, "Okay."
"You'll be taking the ticket then?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "Mads tends to get mad when she's made to sit still for five hours straight. And you're right…she wants to go home."
"Good," Diane smiled, "I'll have my aide confirm with the personnel, in the meantime, it's almost time for boarding. I'm sure you need to get your things ready."
Kurt nodded, unable to think of anything else to say, "Thank you, Senator Lockhart."
A curious hue of pink rose to her cheeks but she turned away, looking back at Madison who had begun to laugh at something as she sat next to Eli. He wondered if he had imagined it.
"It's Diane, Mr. McVeigh."
"And its Kurt then, Sen-Diane."
Eyes meeting again, the Senator and the Forensics Expert shared a smile.
And he almost spoke, trying to find something more to say until an familiar excited squeal burst forth not too far away and his daughter's voice broke through the silence that had descended upon them both.
"Hey, Dad, you'll never believe what Mr. Gold just told me!"