Body Guard

Julie:
I took his arm when he offered it and we started off towards the main kitchen. "Well thats good news. I'm sure he's gonna be busy all night handling it," I said, shrugging. My dad worked a lot. So much, in fact, that I hardly got to see him. After a day like today, it would have been nice to have a minute with him." 

We walked into the kitchen to see Lucy bust at work making dinner for everyone. She had a staff to help her, but she usually ended up doing most of the work herself. She was wearing an apron and some flour was deposited on her cheeks. I smiled at the image and walked up next to her see what she was making. "Hey Lucy, it smells great in here,' I told her, swiping at her cheek to get rid of the flour. "Making bread?" I asked her, wiping my finger on Codys cheek to leave the flour there instead. 

"Im making cookies for after dinner. You two can help yourselves to some of the chicken and rice on the counter over there," She told me, gesturing.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that shots had been fired from some members of the crowd. Neither her father nor any of the guards were hurt though the foreign dignitary who started it all had been grazed. Sometimes it was better to keep her in the dark. The last thing I wanted was for her to worry endlessly.

Lucy was a staple for the household. Everyone knew her, everyone did what they could to get on her good side. After all she did almost all the work in cooking for the dozens of staff, guards, and the main household as well. I had a healthy respect for her, not just born from the desire of having her feed me. She worked hard and everything she had a hand in making tasted amazing.

Touching my flour dusted cheek I chuckled and shook my head. "You spoil us all Lucy." Winking at the woman I went right for the food, preparing myself a bowl.

Julie:
I smiled at Lucy once more and grabbed myself a bowl as well. There was a kitchen area off to the side that people used sometimes and after grabbing utensils, I headed over there. "Cody, can you grab something for us to drink? I'll put our food on the table," I told him. I took everything with me without waiting for an answer and found somewhere to sit next to some of my fathers campaign workers.

"Hey guys! Crazy day today, huh?" I said, settling down.

"Jules! Were so glad you're alright!" Said Karen, one of the women who helped my father with his speeches.

I shrugged and smiled "Yeah, I'm fine. Cody is really good at his job," i bragged.

"Yeah, but he isnt bullet proof..." mumbled another one of them.

"What...?"

After my food was taken from me and ferried off to the tables without any chance of my refusal I sighed. Shaking my head I turned to Lucy, "So. Rather than pilfer your stock. Any suggestions for drinks? I know it's only lunch time so nothing too fancy.".

I took. A moment to look back towards Jules and saw her settle down at the tables among my coworkers. Turning my attention back to Lucy I smiled.

Julie:
All three sets of eyes shot to mine in confusion. "Did you not hear about the gunfire?" Asked Karen hesitantly. "I-I wouldn't worry about it, honey, I think everyone is fine."

"Gunfire?" I turned to look at Cody, who was still in the kitchen area with Lucy. "Excuse me a moment."
I left the food on the table and made my way back to the kitchen.

I walked up just as Lucy was pulling a pitcher of what looked like iced tea out of the fridge. "Tell me you didnt know that there were gunshots, Cody," I said. He had to know. He had the entire security team in his ear the whole time, there was no way he didnt know. "Just tell me you didn't know."

The iced tea was a delicious sounding choice and right as I was taking it from the chef's hands Jules came up. Her statements had me pause for a moment before I took the pitcher over to the counter and poured two glasses. "I knew. How could I not? Gunshots are a serious thing."

My jaw worked for a moment and I turned my head to look at her. "I didn't think you needed to know." I set down the pitcher roughly, heedless of the sound as I fully faced her. "What do you think my job is? Huh?"

Julie:
I pressed my lips together in anger before I answered. "You don't get to decide what I need to know," I said, my voice tight. 

I saw Lucy out of the corner of my eye stop what she was doing and turn her attention to us. We had gotten into little spats before as children and Lucy had stepped in countless times, but that wasn't what this was. "You can't keep something like that from me! My dad was there. I was there. You were there! I want to know when there are people shooting at us!" my voice went from quiet to yelling very quickly.

I waited until her rant was done, weathering her yelling until it was over. "My job is to keep you safe. I could have told you about the gunshot, but it didn't matter. It happened after you and I left. Not only that but the only person to have gotten hurt in the entire fiasco minus a few trampled in the crowd as people were running was the Foreign Dignitary who brought all this upon us."

I folded my arms and shook my head slowly. "I don't think you understand what goes on outside your world. Do you know how many attempts on your families life there have been just in the past year? Ten. Ten specific targets where their goal was to kill one or all of you. That isn't even counting the 'accidents' people want to cause just to get back at your family and make you experience some kind of loss or put you behind so they can take the lead."

"In this year the most dangerous circumstance I have been a part of was a brief scuffle that happened after accompanying you to a party. But the most dangerous I have ever been a part of had someone try to stab me because they were stalking you and saw me as in the way. If necessary I will stand in your way to keep you from getting stabbed, hit, or even shot. Friends we might be but I am also your body guard."

Julie:
I listened to him in shock. I had known he didn't just sit around all day, bringing me shopping or accompanying me to parties. But I hadn't been aware of the dangers that had been right in front of me this year, or ever. If someone has asked me five minutes ago, I would have said the hardest part of Cody's job was keeping people from touching me when I walked in a crowd. 

I felt my hands start shaking, which they often did when I was frightened and I knew exactly why I didn't know about any of that. I didn't handle fear very well. I never had. Cody not telling me something like this was just another level of him protecting me. 

I squeezed my hand into a fist, determined to not let on how much his speech had affected me. "I wont have you lie to me about the dangers just because you think I can't handle it," I said, I pressed my lips together again, not in anger this time, but in order to stop my lips from quivering. 

I shook my head and looked away. "I'm not hungry, I'll see you guys later," I mumbled. I wasn't really supposed to go anywhere without Cody, but we were on the house grounds, it wasn't like I was going anywhere far. I slammed the door behind me and immediately felt a little bad about it as Lucy didn't deserve me causing a ruckus in her kitchen. I headed towards the main house.

It was easy to read her, too easy if I was being honest. She'd not been expecting my words. And in it's own way that made me pity her all the more and wish I could have kept her from all of this. But it was too late now. She'd stormed out.

"Damn it..." I muttered as I stared after the door.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I looked over at one of the campaign workers. "I-I'm sorry man. I thought she knew."

Waving a hand I moved over to the table and sat down before my food. I wasn't hungry anymore but at least one of us had to not let Lucy's work go to waste. Though really I wanted to avoid going after Julie and trying to make all of this right.

Julie:
I made it to my wing of the house and kicked my shoes off in my room. I changed into something more comfortable and tried to ignore how quiet it was. Mostly, the only real time that I spent alone was when i went to bed. Other than that, Cody was almost always no more than a room away from me. I sat down on the couched and turned it on to have some noise.

I couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. I was still angry with him for not telling e the truth, but I couldn't deny that I understood why he didn't.

Before long, I fell asleep on the couch, the TV still on.

(( Kayla Catch started the new rp ))

Cody:

It took me most of the day before I finally made my way to Jules's room. I knocked softly before entering her wing. It wasn't hard to see her, sleeping on the couch as she was. Going into one of the spare rooms I grabbed a blanket and brought it over to carefully drape it over her form. Along with it I set down a small bowl of fruit along with a plate of cheese and crackers for her to eat since she'd skipped two meals at this point. Satisfied she was taken care of I turned and left wanting to burn through my emotions and energy at the gym.

((Okay thanks for letting me know!!))

Julie:
After what felt like a long time, I woke up on the couch. I didn't realize for several seconds that I was now covered by a blanket that was supposed in the spare room. Looking to my right, the food was a dead giveaway that Cody had been here. I sighed and sat up. I felt a little hungry, but I didn't particularly feel like eating. I got myself dressed more appropriately and set out of my room. 

Finding my dad would prove to be difficult task without Cody, who could easily ask the body guards. But I figured he could only be in one a few places. After several attempts, I found him in one of the farthest buildings from my rooms. It was the buildings where he often held private meetings or hosted foreign leaders. I walked into his office without knocking and he glanced up in surprise. Cody's father was off to the side.

"Honey, I'm a little busy right now, is this important?" My father asked me. Then he seemed to take another look and frowned. "Are you by yourself?" 

I ignored the second question and went right into it. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright," I said. But I had already known he was fine. The truth was, I didn't know why I was here. I just wanted to see him.

"Do the women in this country always barge into rooms?" I heard in an accented voice from behind me. I turned around to see the very reason for the security concerns to begin with. Sarin Bou stood with a slight smirk, as if he hadn't put my entire family in harms way today. He had a bandage wrapped around his upper arm and looked slightly paler than when I had seen him this morning, but otherwise in perfect health.

I understood the importance of keeping peaceful relations with Mr. Bou. I bowed my head slightly but spoke clearly. "I hope you don't take offense. I was actually quite impressed with your speech today," I lied. I rattled off a few things I had noticed about the speech and included a slight revision to his plan that I think would cause the public to feel more secure in it. I hadn't been paying attention today, but I had been paying attention to the news and I knew what I was talking about. I could see he was surprised I had opened my mouth at all and when he turned to excuse himself and say goodbye to my father, I could see he was pleased. 

By the time he left, my father was already loosing his tie. "I should have brought you in here hours ago. We've been arguing all day about what to do and you've managed to peacefully resolve an issue in just minutes. You're very good at this Jules." He hung up his coat and sighed. "But where is Cody?" I cringed slightly. He wasnt going to be happy I came here alone and when he found out that I was here with Sarin Bou, he would probably never let me hear the end of it.

Cody:

Thump, Thump.

The rhythmic feeling and sound of my mma gloves hittting the punching bag were the only things I was aware of around me. I tuned out the music someone else was playing. I tuned out my ragged breathing. And I tuned out the thoughts in my head. I knew I should be with Jules, checking on her, making sure she was alright. But I'd opened her eyes and ears to the danger that surrounded her and the work I'd put in to make her safe.

Informing her of that could change everything. It was possible I could lose my job, possible that I could be moved to no longer be her personal guard. Even perhaps having to be retrained. I just wanted her to be safe though. No more no less.

But I wasn't thinking about any of that, I was focused solely on venting my frustrations and emotions on the punching bag.

Julie:
I smiled sheepishly at my dad. "To be fair, last he saw me, I was sleeping on the couch. So it's not actually his fault," I defended him. 

My father gave me a stern look. He knew damn well it wasn't Cody's fault. "Call him. Now." 

I sighed and grabbed my cell phone from my purse and hit the speed dial to call Cody. I wouldn't be allowed out of this building without security with me and for the time being, I would stick close to Codys dad.

Mr Hale:

"If I had to make a guess he is someplace where he wont be able to hear your phone call dear. Here, since you cant go anywhere without a guard how about I take you to where I think he might be." I offered in my quiet tone. A faint smile had touched my lips since she had come in and her father had noticed Cody wasn't with her. Her expression told me all I needed to know about the situation.

Turning cool grey eyes towards my long time friend and boss, Mr. Devlin, I raised my brows. "I know this wont be an issue because you will be staying right here and not going anywhere. You have neither appointments nor a schedule for the rest of the evening at the moment. Besides if I come back and you have gone anywhere...I'll just tell your wife where you have been hiding your stash of candy and ruining your supposed diet."

Julie:
I smirked at my dad horrified expression. "At least I know where Cody gets it from," I commented, putting my phone away when I heard the voicemail message. I could see my dad was settling down on one of the couches in the office until Mr. Hale returned and I gathered my purse to get ready to leave. I wasn't sure if Cody would be angry with me for leaving my room without telling him. 

"So where do you think he is, Mr. Hale?" I asked. We had cell phone reception all over the grounds so if he couldn't hear his phone he must be busy with something.

Offering her my arm I led us out of the office, taking a moment to close the door behind me. "Cody doesn't have a lot of outlets. It is an unfortunate family trait we have. Both of us have found our own ways to relax. I find music and run." Bringing her outside I took a slow breath of the night air. "Cody goes to the gym and works out at the sand bag."

Julie:
I grabbed onto his arm as we walked and listened to him. "He told me about some of the dangers of your job," I said, softly. "I know he probably wasn't supposed to and I dont want him in trouble for it, but I did want to thank you for all the work you do to keep my father and all of us safe," I told him. Mr. Hale was always around growing up. I didn't see him a lot anymore because my father wasn't around anymore, but I still found a father figure in him. 

"I should've probably said that to him instead of running off," I said, sheepishly.

Mr Hale:

Leading us down the path towards the Gym I smiled down at her. "Maybe it's my turn to say something I shouldn't. There is no rule that says he can't tell you. In fact after he finished training I told him that it would be better to tell you. Because even if you didn't believe it, you would at least know." Returning my gaze to the front I sighed softly. "This all was after his graduation and you were playing out in the grass. He had to get a cut on his cheek looked at from his final training bout. I'm sure you remember the bandage and maybe the faint scar. You were playing with the other kids and were having a good time. Cody has always been a kid full of energy and life but when I told him that he went to the window and watched you with a serious expression on his face."

Glancing at her from the corner of my eyes I smiled to myself, "He said to look at how happy you were. That he'd do anything to keep his best friend smiling like that. And that if he said anything you'd worry endlessly about him and keep him from doing his job." Reaching the gym doors I pulled open the handle so she could step inside before me. "He carries a lot of weight on his shoulders."

Leading us through the lobby I took a peek through one of the windows and nodded. "He's in the back corner. Just like I thought." Cody was wearing a black form fitting tanktop, dark shorts, and even black shoes, and even from here I could tell by the lights of the gym that he was drenched with sweat.

Julie:
I listened to the story with rapt attention and didn't even notice when we were suddenly in the lobby of the gym. I followed Mr. Hales nod to the back corner of the gym where Cody clearly stood in his work out clothes. 

"We should probably talk..." I mumbled. I let go of Mr. Hale's arm gave him a quick heartfelt hug. "Thank you for telling me all that," I said, sincerely. I started for the door and opened it. I knew I had things to say, but after hearing the story from his father, all I wanted to do was hug him. When I got close enough, he started turning in my direction and without pausing, I threw my arms around him. He was sweaty, but I didn't care. I just hoped he wasn't too angry with me.

Cody:

I stopped as my breathing was too ragged, and I knew I'd need water badly. Just as I was turning however a soft body plowed into me very nearly knocking me off my feet as their arms went around me. Grunting as I took a step back so as to not fall it took me a moment to even realize just who it was hugging me. "Jules?" I asked after a moment then slowly raised my arms around her in my own hug. "What...are you alright?"

Julie:
I squeezed him for a minute and then relaxed my grip. "Yeah...yeah, sorry, Im fine." I told him. I pushed my hair out of my face and took a step back. I looked at his flushed cheeks from the workout he was clearly in the middle of. On his upper right cheek there was a small scar that had been there since he graduated. "Its just...thank you. I should have said thank you before, and I didn't." I mumbled. "Your dad," I said, pointing over my shoulder, not even sure if he was still standing there, "He walked me over here because I went to Building C and I know I wasn't supposed to and I did a lot thinking and talking and I'm sorry that I acted like that today," I told him, still rambling on. "I'm sorry I ran away from you and I'm sorry I didn't say thank you," I finished.

I let her go when she stepped back, focusing on getting my breathing under control. I could only stare stupidly at her when she thanked me. It wasn't a new thing, she thanked me for lots of things. Jules was polite like that. But I knew what she meant, what she was really thanking me for. It left my speechless really. I didn't even bother looking to see if my dad was there.

After her rambling finished I blinked and just searched her face for a moment. Finally I sighed and shook my head. "Jules...you are going to make my hair turn gray like my dads...." Settling a hand on her shoulder I gave her a faint smile. "It's alright. I..." My chin dipped as I looked at the ground. "I wanted to see you smile. Always. It's a promise I made to myself when I was little. So I wanted to keep you from knowing about all the dark things around you." Removing my hand I brushed the sweat from my forehead as best I could.

Emily:
I swallowed hard at the emotion creeping up my throat and smiled softly back at him. "I know that now," I told him. I stepped forward again and wrapped my arms around him in another hug. "I shouldn't have yelled at you before," I mumbled against him shoulder. "I'm really sorry if I made things hard today," I told him.