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Rumors Jane Harper RATING: R for language and violence SYNOPSIS: Begins immediately after "Blood & Thunder"-in fact, it starts between the climax and the epilogue. This one's about playing telephone. ARCHIVE: Sure, just let me know where. DISCLAIMER: Sarah's mine; the rest of the characters herein belong to the Evil Genius and his minions. I'm just tossing them into a bag, shaking it up, and seeing what happens.
It was well after seven in the evening before the Coroner's wagon took the body of Sarah's cousin away. It was well past nine before the police were finished at the scene and everyone had left. She surveyed the shambles that had once been their living room, with broken china, a gaping hole where a piece of the Persian rug had been taken for evidence, and scarlet blood stains around it. Leo stepped over and put his arm around her shoulder. "We can't stay here tonight," he said. "Let's get some stuff together, I'm taking you to a hotel." "I don't want to go to a hotel," she said. "I'm not going to let what happened today chase me out of my home." "You sure, Toots? Not just for a couple of days while I get somebody to come in here and clean all this up?" "Is that what you want?" He nodded. "OK. I just want to be wherever you are." She took his hand in both of hers. "When I think what could have happened--" "It didn't. We're all OK, thanks to Margaret." "I don't think I've ever felt so helpless." She reached out to pull him close to her. "Or so scared." He chuckled wryly. "First New Year's weekend and now this. We've had a helluva few weeks, haven't we, Toots?" They gathered up clothing and other things, and he called his driver to take them over to the Four Seasons. "What the hell," he said. "Might as well be comfortable." Once they were settled in the room, they took a long, steamy shower together. As they were leaving the bathroom, the phone rang. "Yeah, we're OK," Sarah heard as she combed the knots out of her wet hair. "Has it been on the news?... That's what I was afraid of... . " His pager sounded. "Just a sec. Here, talk to Sarah." He held the phone out to her. "It's Mallory." "Hi Mal." "You OK?" "Shaken, not stirred. Listen, do me a favor, will you?" "Sure." "Go over to the house tomorrow and get my furry family and cat-sit them until the cleanup is over, please? It'll be hard enough to focus the next couple of days without having to worry about them getting out and turning into sail-cats." "You bet. We'll take care of them until you're home again." "Thank you so much. I don't know--" Her voice broke as angry tears filled her eyes and she began to sob. "Sarah, it's ok. You go hug Dad. He's upset too, he just won't show it." "I know." "You guys just hold on to one another. I'll see you both tomorrow." "OK." "Hang up now." "OK." She put the phone back in the cradle, but it promptly rang again. Looking over and seeing that Leo was on his cell phone, she answered. "H-hello?" "Sarah?" "Yes...?" "John Hoynes. You all right?" "Yes, sir. Leo's on his cell-" "Good for him. I was calling to see if you were OK or if you need anything. I just saw CJ on CNN-" "Oh God," she said, beginning to sob again. "That means--" "I'm afraid so. Fasten your seat belts, it's gonna be a bumpy night." She couldn't help giggling. "I'm sorry, Mr. Vice President, you don't sound anything like Bette Davis." "Well thank God for small favors," he responded. "Seriously, do you need anything? Besides to stay home tomorrow?" She sniffled as the tears stopped. "Actually, I hadn't thought--" "That's an order, Sarah. You go downstairs there tomorrow and get a massage and take a sauna and sit in the Jacuzzi and pamper yourself." "Yes, sir." "And listen, take this number down. It's my cell. If you need anything--anything!--and you can't raise Leo, you call me, understand?" "Yes sir. Thank you." She wrote the number down. "You know, this isn't just your boss talking, this is your friend." "I know. And I appreciate it. I'm lucky to have both." She looked up to see Leo off the cell and waving at her. "Is that Hoynes?" he stage-whispered. She nodded. He reached out for the receiver. "Sir, Leo needs to talk to you--" "OK. You remember what I said." "Yes, sir." "That was for your boss. How about your friend?" "Thank you, John." She had never called him that before outside of a meeting and it made her vaguely uncomfortable, but it was obviously what he wanted. Handing the phone to Leo, she ignored his scowl, and went back into the bathroom to dry her hair. A minute later he came looking for her. "Thank you _John_?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow. "That bothers you?" "Yes, frankly, it does." "You've heard me call him that at the Card Game." "We're not at the Card Game." "I've heard you call him that." "I knew him before he was Vice President. Besides, sometimes I call him that--" She finished for him."--to put him in his place. Sometimes I hate politics." "I'm a politician." "You know what I mean." "Do I? Sarah, he's your boss for crying out loud." "He's also my friend." "Really? When did that happen?" She turned off the hair dryer and put it down on the vanity. In the mirror she could see his eyes changing color, from calm hazel to angry gray. Turning around, she reached out for his hands. "Irish, I don't want to fight. We're both tired and hungry and running on adrenaline. Let's order something from room service and then go to bed." "I can't." He wouldn't look her in the eye. "No, tell me you have to go." He nodded. "Like it or not, this is news... I have to go talk to the Press Corps." "Why can't CJ handle it?" "CJ is handling it. She's the one who called, she needs me there. We're not the only news item on the menu, you know. She has other boats to bail." "I need you here!" "I know." He looked down at the floor. "I've got to put some clothes on," he added, and turned toward the outer room. She followed him and watched him dress. As he was putting on his suit coat, she went up and straightened his tie. "Irish, are you jealous?" He put his hands in his pants pockets and looked away. "You are! How sweet! And how wonderfully old fashioned!" She grinned. He looked her in the eye and scowled, or tried to, but the phony frown dissolved into a puckish grin. "So sue me." As he was leaving he kissed her goodbye and said, "Sarah, please be careful. Don't get too close to Hoynes. I love you, and I don't trust him, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Leavenworth for taking him out with Lionel's cricket bat." She laughed and pushed him out the door. It wasn't until she'd sat down on the bed and turned on the television that it hit her what he'd said; after six months he'd finally admitted he loved her.
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