Allies: Home Front

Chapter 8

P smiled weakly at Bobby before she left him alone in his office.

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"Ben, would you like to try the scallops?" P asked, squatting down to hold a fork out to her three year old son.

"Sure!" Ben popped the seafood into his mouth and smiled. "Its very yummy!"

"I think so too." P looked to the White House head chef, Gina, and nodded. "This is perfect. Do you have the main dish ready?"

"Yes, Mrs. Conoroy." The chef hurried deeper into the kitchen before returning with a steaming plate.

P and Ben sampled the remaining courses for the state dinner she had planned to take place in a week.

"Hey mom, maybe you could bring me food after the party," Ben suggested.

"Would you like that?" P asked with a smile. "Im sure Chef Gina would send some up for you if you ask nicely."

Ben smiled up at the world class chef and said sweetly, "Can you Chef Gina, please?"

"Of course, Ben," Gina said, ruffling the little boy's hair. P knew that the staff was overjoyed to have young children in the White House. A few members had commented to her how alive the house felt, opposed to having an older first couple with children in adulthood. Ben was the rambunctious entertainment that always got a laugh out of even the most serious cabinet members, while Mannon's sweetness, manners, and adult like understanding was admired by everyone.

"Okay, buddy. Lets go back up stairs and get ready for bed," P said energetically, placing her hand on the back of Ben's head, guiding him out of the kitchen.

After an exhausting hour, P had both children snuggled into their beds. She was able to shower and relax herself in the giant master bed. Bobby was of course down in his office, and had invited Jan to come to his office the next day.

P felt bunged up inside, unable to wind down. But soon exhaustion took over and she was asleep.

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P looked around her, feeling panicked. She recognized the familiar scene- thousands of people holding signs and waving, pushing on the barricades that made a path to an uncovered car.

She looked down. Her stomach was smaller, and a now world famous pink coat was covering her body. A pink coat that had been sent from the FBI to the national archives in order to preserve the memory of a day the changed the Conoroy administration forever.

P turned to her side and saw Michael, as beautifully happy and lively as ever, walking down the steps of the Veteran's Hospital next to her. When she tried to speak, no sound came out of her mouth. When she tried to reach for him, her body wouldn't cooperate- it just kept moving towards the car.

Despite her desperate attempts to stop it, the four were at the car. P was sliding into the seat next to Michael when a deafening shot rang out. There was a flash of red, but instead of coming from Michael, P felt her stomach wrench when Jan fell beside the car. Another shot followed, and a warm spray covered her face as Bobby fell into her lap, a gaping hole in his neck. P turned to Michael, her heart filling with dread and horrible sadness as their eyes locked. His brown eyes, so similar to Bobby's, had been a familiar sight sorely missed. But before she could do anything, Michael's head was a halo of red, and he slumped forward just like he had a few months before in LA.

A final shot rang out, and P felt a massive pain in her back before everything went black.

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