[Lauchenoiria]

Prime Minister’s Office, Lauchenoiria

“A slow day, then?” Alvarez chuckled as her aide finished reading off the list of appointments. There was far less than usual, much to her surprise. It seemed that things were going smoothly for now, no immediate crises – at least none she intended to comment on – and therefore days in the office were easier than usual. “In that case, perhaps we should get to some of the non-urgent things I’ve been putting off.”

“Well, there’s Alex Marwick wanting to meet with both you and the Shuellian ambassador…”

“Definitely not. That can of worms can remain closed.”

“There’s also the WOE people’s lawyer who has been requesting meetings…”

“Would rather jump in a lake in Kerlile. Next.”

“Um, well, your… wife’s cousin, Finlay Hale. He came here last month and has been repeatedly requesting meetings.”

“That sounds… less painful than the other two. Or, well, at least less likely to cause some kind of media scandal. Fine, add him to the schedule, let’s get this over with.”

*

Five hours later…

Finlay Hale was exceptionally nervous when he was led into the Lauchenoirian Prime Minister’s office. Despite his (one) experience with diplomacy, and his multiple experiences with family and romantic crises, this wasn’t a meeting he thought he could ever be prepared for. So much rested on it, and yet there was no way to force the issue. Emotions would play out how they’d play out, regardless of practical consequences.

“Mr Hale, a pleasure,” Josephine said, though her smile didn’t meet her eyes. They shook hands and she gestured for him to take a seat opposite her at her desk. “How can I help you?”

“It is not me who needs help, Prime Minister,” Finlay smiled sadly. “It is my cousin, Councillor Hale.”

At the mention of Jennifer’s title, the Prime Minister flinched, unable to control it. There was so much trauma for her in the story of how Jennifer took her position on the Council and hearing the title was often a little much. “And how can I help the Councillor?”

“There is no easy way to say this, and it’s not my place, but she can’t leave Kerlile and you don’t… look, Jennifer is still in love with you. Deeply, wholly, unable to get over it and unwilling to consider the option. She wants to be here with you far more than she wants to do anything for Kerlile. But she can’t. And that’s hurting her. And so, she won’t do anything, she won’t even get out of bed and it’s a problem. She needs to attend votes, or the reformists will lose their advantage and Kerlile will slip back into the old ways, and so many gains we’ve worked for will be lost. You’re the only person who can snap her out of it!”

Josephine stared at the Kerlian man for a few moments, her expression unreadable. Then she turned away, looking down at some paperwork. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you. Thank you for coming to see me, my assistant will show you out.”

“Wait!” he pleaded. “Look, I know a lot of things happened, but she never, ever meant to hurt you. She was trying to protect you!”

“Thank you for coming, Mr Hale,” Josephine said, her tone turning frosty, “but I was never in love with Jennifer Hale. I was in love with someone who never existed, Sonja Viratnen.”

And Finlay just… snapped. It wasn’t something Kerlian men did often, mostly because it would lead to execution for showing “violent patriarchal tendencies”. But suddenly he couldn’t hold it in any more.

“You don’t get it! If she’d told you, if you’d known they’d have killed you! If they’d found her before her sister died, they’d have killed both of you. They’d have hunted you down and tortured you to death. You forget she was wanted for treason. She loved you, more than she ever loved anyone else and she will never love anyone else the same way! She lied once to protect you. Once! And you can’t forgive that?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he continued. “When Jennifer ended up in a bad situation, she tried to make life better for others through her own pain! But you? You let fear rule you, you do whatever it takes to keep power and you will sacrifice all your principles. Jennifer never deserved you! I don’t see how he can love someone so selfish, so power-hungry, so determined to protect her own position she will sell her own people out over and over because of her own fear!”

“That’s enough, Mr Hale,” snapped Alvarez. But he wasn’t done.

“Jennifer doesn’t belong on the Council! It shouldn’t exist! She’s done wonders with what little power she could wield but it’ll never be enough. Arnott just wanted power, Georgiou just wants foreign entertainment, Robinson supports reform to carry on her family feud. But Jennifer wants to build a better world! She’s a thousand times better than them. But you? You’re just like them, you care more about power than about love. You do not deserve my cousin.”

“Get out.”

“Sonja was REAL. Sonja was more damned real than Jennifer Hale! Someone’s birth name, their legal identity is not the real them. The way she loved you, THAT was real. The way she acted then, that was real. The Councillor is not real, the Councillor is a lie that Kerlile built because they needed goddamn unity to show off to the world. Sonja was real, her love for you was real, and you can’t recognise that! You’re a lost cause, you deserve nothing, you power-hungry thief!”

“Security!” yelled Alvarez and immediately the door burst open revealing two Secret Service agents waiting outside.

“I’m leaving!” Finlay yelled as they moved to grab him. “I’m leaving!” He raised his arms and turned away from the Prime Minister, storming into the corridor and away from the office.

“Make sure he exits the building,” Alvarez ordered the agents, as she glared after the retreating man. But inside, she was shaking, a little worm of doubt crawling through her mind as his words ran through it.