Madam President

Chapter Fourteen

R18+

Freen didn't sleep much to begin with, but she definitely didn't get any sleep last night. And there was no excuse to wear sunglasses in the oval office during a breakfast meeting.

Two very unfortunate, yet unavoidable truths that she was currently dealing with as she listened to Rebecca's surprisingly sharp tone.

"And you think I care about that particular approval rating?" "Ma'am-"

"As though their party has done anything since the beginning of my presidency aside from make my life a constant living hell and make it nearly impossible to accomplish even half of what I know I could?"

"Ma'am, trust me, we understand but--"

"No." Rebecca responded adamantly. "No, I really don't think you do. I won't compromise on this. I refuse. If I give an inch on it, they'll take a mile."

"You're acting as though aliens are your political base when they aren't, Madam President. You're acting as though there are enough of them out there that it's worth compromising the entirety of the bill."

"I'm not going to allow a bill to pass that's attempting to slip a mass alien identification registry right under the noses of the Thai people and that's that. It doesn't matter that I personally support every other policy it contains. I don't support that one. Anyone with any sort of moral compass whatsoever wouldn't support that one."

The aide swallowed thickly and averted his gaze rather quickly. "It's my job to have these conversations with you, Ma'am."

"And it's my job to protect this country from whatever I'm able to protect it from."

He took in a slow, steadying breath and finally looked back in Rebecca's direction.

"Yes, ma'am. And we have reason to believe alien presence here is something this country might need to be protected from. Not right now. Maybe not ever. But if we have this in place..."

"Bigotry." Rebecca responded, her voice much lower than it had been. "Closed-mindedness."

She leaned forward over the table, ignoring her untouched breakfast and passing the report she'd been handed back to the man sitting across from her. "Those are far more real threats than the ones perceived in this report. Our conversation has made that all too apparent. This bill does not have my support and that's final."

Strange, how the aide looked almost relieved. He was just a messenger, after all.

Rebecca would take her official stance later, of course. And she would likely do so publicly. In his opinion, she was making the right call. But everyone needed a devil's advocate from time to time. Even the president.

Even still, when he left, Rebecca was visibly agitated as she remained sitting in front of her rather cold eggs benedict.

She could feel Freen's eyes on her, and she turned slowly in response to find the other woman's eyes darting away from her quickly.

"What?" She asked as she stood and ran her hands through her hair. She hadn't realized just how sharply that was going to come out, and she regretted it instantly.

Freen seemed at least outwardly unphased.

"Nothing." Freen's response was quiet in a way that only made Rebecca feel worse.

"I think I need a few moments to gather my thoughts." Rebecca said as she slumped forward against her desk with her hands on the edge of it.

Freen's expression faltered for the first time then, and she slowly made her way past the other woman. She paused for just a moment. Long enough that Rebecca turned her head to look at her.