Madam President

Chapter Five

"Second floor of a burning building caved in on me while I was saving a newborn lamb."

"Oh, no! What was the lamb doing in the burning building?" Rebecca's eyes were wide, and her expression was both feigned and mischievous.

"Oh, I don't recall, now. It's been so long, you know?"

Rebecca laughed. A long, wheezing, much-needed laugh that had Freen smiling from ear-to-ear.

Rebecca was so serious so often. And stressed even more frequently than that. No one knew that better than Freen. That was one of the reasons she'd reminded Rebecca about this trail and the tradition behind riding it. Well, one of them.

The other nagging thoughts that Freen kept just below the surface of her consciousness would have to wait.

"It feels a little strange to be doing this when there are so many other things that need my attention," Rebecca admitted once they turned down the first leg of the trail and were blanketed by the privacy of forest.

"It's not really leisure time." Freen countered easily. "Just another thing that's expected of you, so view it as another thing you have to get out of the way instead of something to feel guilty for."

"It doesn't feel like something to get out of the way." Rebecca glanced in Freen's direction as she admitted this, perhaps to both of them. "It's nice to be out here with you with no stacks of papers in the way."

"Try to let yourself enjoy it then, at least," Freen said - though her voice was strangely quiet.

When Rebecca turned to look at her, she saw the agent's attention was focused not on her, but the forest around them.

Rebecca hadn't even noticed the sound of branches cracking that Freen had heard, but she thought it best to stay quiet while Freen listened until she seemed satisfied that it wasn't anything that needed further investigation.

"Sorry," Freen continued with an apologetic smile. "I still have a job to do."

"Don't apologize. Rabbits are fearsome creatures, I hear." Rebecca jabbed playfully, and Freen chuckled under her breath.

For a while, they rode together in comfortable silence. Rebecca quite enjoyed the quiet. She also enjoyed the warmth and safety of having Freen at her side.

She was one of her only constants now, after all. One of the few things she could count on - day in, and day out.

That's why she had absolutely no chance of reacting in time when one of those 'fearsome' rabbits sped across the trail almost directly beneath her horse's hooves.

The horse was rearing within seconds, balking at Rebecca's tenuous hold on its reins.

Just as Rebecca was preparing herself for what was likely to be a rather uncomfortable fall, like a flash in front of her eyes, Freen had one hand wrapped around the alarmed horse's reins and the other on the front of her coat.

She'd never even left her own saddle.

Rebecca was shocked for a moment as the horse whinnied a few times after his hooves were firmly back on the ground, and Freen was still holding him strongly against her own horse's shoulder.

She was so focused on calming the animal down, she didn't even realize how tightly she was holding onto Rebecca's coat until every finally relaxed and Rebecca placed a hand over her own.

Only then did Freen let go, and rather quickly, as she looked Rebecca over with wide eyes for any possible sign of injury.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Freen finally asked as Rebecca shook her head.