Secret Service

One

 Gwendolyn watched quietly behind shaded sunglasses, the show being put on before her. At least the show her father was giving. He stood at the podium, his presence more intimidating than the military brigade behind him.

The air was cool and crisp and with every word he spoke, puffs of white air came out of his mouth. His eyes were pinched from the sun shining brightly down on them all.

There had been media presence that had been pushed back to the outskirts of the funeral, all in effort to give Bryant's family time to mourn in peace.

Though, nothing had been peaceful able the past few days in her life. Coming home from work, her trusted bodyguard and long time friend had been shot dead in front of her.

For a moment, Gwendolyn was sure the attacker would turn the gun onto her as well, they were almost successful had the gun not gotten jammed.

Every time she heard a click she felt an uncontrollable amount of dread that would flood her senses.

Aside from her fathers words, the cemetery had been silent. Any parties wishing to visit their deceased loved ones wouldn't be able to today with President Cavanaugh present.

Around them were secret service members, not interested in concealing their presence today. Yet, they weren't here for her father, they were here for her.

The moment her father had discovered what happened, he'd fallen into a frenzy of desperation to protect her, nearly to a suffocating degree.

Even now as she mourned her friend, she was being watched by several pairs of eyes. And she could feel every second of it.

She shifted uncomfortably, readjusting her black gloves covering her hands from the chill in the air. Spring was surely trying it's hardest by February in D.C. were always the worst month of their winters.

It would likely linger until April, and Gwendolyn couldn't wait for the chill to be gone at least for a few months.

"I think that the most important thing we remember is to hold your love one's tight, and never forget to say your I Love You's" Her father finished his speech and it was met with light applause from an audience who weren't sure if it were appropriate.

Her father stepped down from where he was standing, patting Bryan's wife on her arm and hugging his daughter before walking back to his seat, several away from Gwendolyn's own.

Her heart began to beat fast as she knew that it was now her turn to speak. She stood on shaky legs, thankful she avoided wearing heels today, opting for black flats.

She wore a dress that fell just below her knees that were covered in thermal stockings. She approached the stand, looking back at the crowd.

It wasn't until that moment that she realized just how many people were in attendance. She corrects the mic, opting to focus on the cards in her hand rather than the many faces looking at her.

On a shaky breath, she spoke, "I first met Bryan when I was only fourteen years old. He was one of the many men hired when my father was elected, and chosen to be my guard. I can only imagine after spending thirteen years in the Marines, he found his new job less than exciting."

Her words elicited a few laughs from the crowd who knew just how massive Bryan had been about his time spent in the Marines.

"But he never complained, he essentially became my nanny. He took me to school every day, picked me up. When I moved to London to study abroad, he even followed me there. Bringing Kate and Mary." Kate, Bryan's wife smiled at Gwendolyn while wiping her tears from her cheeks.