One Last Time

one more remark

"Thank you for that excellent question, Anna. I'd like to first say that a rolling Stone gathers no moss," Frederick said, blue eyes twinkling in delight as the audience laughed. "And Senator Stone's policies have changed quite a bit since the time he came to Capitol Hill. The fact of the matter is that Senator Stone is a brilliant man, with a lot of ideas and a lot of energy. But he is young. And his youth is his biggest weakness. I have more than ten more years of experience in and around politics than Senator Stone does. And that's why the American people should vote for me. I have the experience, expertise, and wisdom that we need to keep our country and our people safe, and at the forefront of change for the world."

The auditorium burst into applause - a standing ovation for the man that had managed to say nothing of substance during the entire debate. Chloe and Nancy wore matching scowls. Benjamin had put in a lot of work for this debate, and by the audience's response, it had paid off. Yet and still, Frederick clutched the lead, simply by relying on his image as 'America's Grandfather' and leaning hard on the one thing Benjamin couldn't counter: his youth. As the applause died down, Benjamin cleared his throat. He had the home court advantage - so he would make the closing comments. Chloe didn't realize how tightly she was clenching her fist until Nancy reached down to hold her hand. The women traded smiles of reassurance.

Benjamin looked down at his notes. The hall was silent. So silent that Chloe could hear herself breathe. A long moment passed. Then another. Chloe and Nancy exchanged glances. What was wrong? Did Benjamin freeze? Chloe pulled out her blackberry, ready to do damage control. Nancy turned her headset on. They waited. Everyone waited. Finally, after two minutes that felt like eternity, Benjamin looked up. His candid, happy demeanor had been replaced with a stoicism and focus that he had never shown the world before. Chloe looked up at the monitors. He was centered in the shot, and in that moment, looked every inch the strong leader that Frederick had said he was not. She couldn't help the smile that spread slowly across his face. Benjamin was good.

"When our nation was founded, the rest of the world did not take us seriously. They told our founding fathers that the new United States was too young to play a role on the world stage. And still, among the world powers, we are the youngest nation at the table. But we are also the strongest. Youth is synonymous with strength. We are virile - filled with ideas and with the strength to achieve them."

Chloe couldn't take her eyes off of Benjamin; she was entranced, completely compelled by his demeanor, by the gravity in his voice, and the strength of his conviction.

"We are too young to be disillusioned, too young to be stuck in our ways. We are too young to settle for anything less than what we deserve - and what we deserve is the best. We deserve to keep moving forward, to find innovative solutions to the problems that still plague us. We deserve to speak and be heard, to see the changes that have been promised to us and then forgotten. It's true. We are young. But that is not a weakness. It is, and has always been our strength. And together, despite our youth, we will accomplish all of the things we talked about and more. Together, we will be solid as Stone."

The crowd erupted into cheers of ecstatic praise. They leapt to their feet immediately, waving flags and banners and screaming at the top of their lungs. The energy in the room was palpable. Benjamin smiled again, flashing his dimple to America, waving at them. He wasn't the young kid that the Rodney campaign had set him up as anymore. He was the young, strong uncle, who would guide America into the next era of youth and virility and energy.

"Wow. Just...wow," Nancy murmured. Chloe looked over at her, and grinned at the hand that Nancy had placed over her heart. "That man is going places." Chloe smiled and looked back at Benjamin. He was shaking hands with Frederick Rodney now, but as if he felt her gaze, he looked up and locked eyes with her. She smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up sign.

Benjamin Stone was definitely going places. She only hoped that he would take her with him.