Secrets of the West Wing

Chapter 1 - Starting Point

September 2025

"Are you out of your mind?" Emily demanded, barging into the Oval Office, slamming the door behind her.

Without evening looking up from my file, I responded, "Good morning to you, too, Agent Prentiss."

"I mean have you utterly lost it?" Emily bulldozed.

I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. She was absolutely magnificent in her anger - nevermind that it was currently directed towards me. It also didn't hurt that she was wearing my favorite suit. I subtly looked her up and down. I sighed. "What do you want me to do Emily? It's not like I left the White House."

She moved towards my desk, resting her hands on the edge, leaning towards me. "I want you to tell the agents on duty that you're leaving the residence, and more importantly not shake them when they follow you! Especially because you DID leave. How could you be so reckless? Agent Green reported you meandered around, unprotected, in the gardens for over an hour."

"Agent Green should mind his own business," I muttered under my breath. I looked down, now realizing what a mistake my little walk in the gardens was last night. "I couldn't sleep. I just needed to clear my mind."

"And you couldn't do that with your detail?" She asked with raised eyebrow.

I whispered, "I never get to be alone anymore."

She exhaled, finally understanding. "How did you even shake them?"

I coyly looked up at her. With a glint in my eye, "I can't reveal all my secrets, Agent Prentiss." I winked. I was rewarded with her ten thousand watt smile - the very one that coiled my stomach. Neither of us dared break eye contact, fearing it would break our connection. Over the last six months or so this was becoming increasingly common. And never once did the impact of her smile lessen; it never failed to set me aflame.

She leaned forward even further, nearly halfway over my desk. "Y/n...don't. push. me." My stomach tightened. Over the past few months I attempted to push her buttons just to see where her threshold was, to see just how far I could push her. I was always itching to get her voice to drop like that and her eyes to rake over me as they were now. If I could only get her to lose control.

"Madam President," Penelope, my assistant, interrupted, "You're needed in the Roosevelt Room." I grimaced; my time with Emily was never enough. I was eternally perturbed by the interruptions to our time alone, our constant need to remain professional. But how could I be too put out when, without being elected president, I never would have met Emily. The head of my Secret Service detail. And yet, it was exactly this relationship that caused so much headache.

Standing up, I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time just this morning. "I'm on my way, Penelope, thank you." 

 Duty calls.

___________________________________________________________

February 2025

"Madam President, your safety is paramount. I understand you aren't comfortable with Agent Morgan staying in the residence with you, but without anyone else in the residence with you, I'm concerned agents posted outside wouldn't know anything was wrong until hours after, until morning."

Because I am unmarried, no children, I moved into the residence alone. Though highly irregular, the head of the Secret Service, Aaron Hotchner, urged me to allow an agent to live inside the residence and not just have agents posted outside.

"I'm sorry Agent Hotchner, but I will not be living with a man."

"What if I found you a female agent?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "I'm not comfortable with anyone in the residence, actually. It simply isn't necessary."

"I'm not asking, Madam President. We have received too many credible threats to risk it." He scowled at me so deeply I thought his eyes might actually bore through me. I could tell he wasn't backing down.

"So I actually get no say in this?" Now I had to hold back tears. Three weeks as president and it was finally sinking in how monumentally and irrevocably my world had shifted. When I received no response, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "No slobs. No one loud. And no one who will disturb me at home. I mean it Aaron - I don't even want to know they're there." I stood abruptly from the table, not caring that the chair almost toppled over behind me. Before he could get me to agree to more ridiculous propositions, I charged out of his office.

I flew up to the residence throwing some excuse over my shoulder to Penelope on the way out of the West Wing. When I arrived, I closed the front door, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I really did not want to cry - presidents do not cry.

"I take it you didn't like what Hotch had to say?"

I jumped about four feet in the air, my hand flying to my pounding heart. "Who the hell are you?" I tried to raise my voice to capture the attention of the agents posted outside.

"Relax," she said moving towards me, "My name is Emily Prentiss. I'm the new head of your detail. And I'll be staying here." She was close enough now that she reached her hand out for me to shake. My head was reeling. What happened downstairs was just a formality, a farce. She'd been up here, moving in, the whole time.

I brusquely shook her hand, "Great to meet you." I was lying, and we both knew it. I shoved past her and headed towards my room. 4:24 pm was way too early to call it quits for the day, but I needed to collect myself.

In the safety of my own room I could finally reflect on what just happened. Holy hell Prentiss was sexy. Never once had I been so affected by someone with just a glance. Her wide, endless eyes eternally imprinted on my mind. Her lashes were so long, skin so smooth, I didn't know if I was burning with jealousy that mine didn't look like that or burning with desire to touch her, to know her.

I must have truly lost my mind. How could I already be gone over someone I JUST met, about whom I knew nothing? Only one thing was running through my mind. Well, two. First, I was absolutely besotted with Emily Prentiss, and second, I was absolutely fucked.