evergreen: the necklace.

1

"Ready?" Desiree walks into the empty Oval Office with a solemn smile on her face. It's rare to see her so serious, but she knows her friend needs it right now. Aurelius snaps out of his reverie and looks at the woman, tearful eyes wide open. She can tell that he is fighting off the need to break down in front of her. His body language says something about how badly he wants to let it all out, but his mind tells him that this isn't exactly the right time or place. He takes a deep breath and tries to put some semblance of composure back into his posture as she comes closer to him.

"Non..." He manages to get out as she kneels in front of him, putting her hands on his knees, making eye contact. A few tears slip from his eyes and he wipes them away angrily before he can catch them on the sleeve of his blazer. Desiree's face falls slightly when she notices. The last thing she wants to do is make him cry, especially when he has just given so much of himself to this mission and has barely begun to recover. She sighs and rubs his hands with hers, trying to offer comfort. "What can I do for you?" She asks quietly, waiting patiently until Aurelius calms down enough so he can speak clearly. "Tell me." She urges softly.

He takes another shaky breath and forces himself to meet her eyes. His voice still wavers but it sounds more like it does when they are alone. "We've been expecting this for years, though it still hurts." He explains, looking at the wall behind her head rather than directly into her eyes, not wanting the tears to fall again if he doesn't have to look at her. "And now we're finally here. In this moment, it's finally real, and yet...I don't know what to feel. And I can only think about my family. If they were here...If they could see me like this...How would they react? How would they think of me?" He lets the question linger in the air unanswered, his eyes fixed firmly on the carpet between them. The silence is painful to him. Desiree squeezes his knee lightly, trying to give him some indication that she's listening and is willing to help.

"They're proud of you. I'm sure about that." Aurelius hadn't moved on from his wife and children's deaths during the war. There hasn't really been time to mourn and move on. That, along with the trauma of being forced to watch people die around him over and over again, caused his recovery to be somewhat slow going. "When you think of your family, think of them smiling. Don't think of your pain. Think of the joy you felt with them before. And of how strong you are. They'll want that. They'd want you to keep moving forward." She says slowly, looking up at him when she's finished. Aurelius' heart swells at the kindness that his partner was showing him, offering solace, support even after all of this time.

"They would....they would..." He says while giving her a sad smile. He doesn't have the strength to talk anymore without letting the tears start falling again. Desiree nods, her heart breaking. She leans forward and hugs her friend tightly. He cries for a long, long time, gripping tightly at her outfit. He feels her arms wrapping around him, pulling him close. Aurelius eventually pulls back from their embrace, wiping the tears off his cheeks one last time. He smiles weakly at the other woman and leans back against his chair. "Thank you." He breathes, his chest tight and sore and aching. Desiree offers him a small smile.

"Anything for you." She replies and stands, holding out her hand to him. He takes it gently, feeling like it might break if he squeezed too hard. Desiree walked to the other side of the room and summons her personal robot. Her expression softens slightly at the sight of the robotic servant. Aurelius watches closely, noticing how the AI gives her a gentle hug, almost seeming to sense the sadness and fear her human companion was feeling. Once they separated, the robot blinks and waits for it's owner's commands. "Luna, where is my piloting suit?" The robot turns its head slightly to scan the entire house. "Where is my piloting suit?" Desiree repeats with authority in her tone. The robot turns its head and scans once again. Aurelius holds back a laugh at the sheer frustration his partner is facing. Finally, the robot turns away and makes an announcement.