Eric smiled and nodded. �Good morning, Bertram,� he greeted. �Take a seat, if you will.� The younger man nodded and seated himself before his superior. �I�m sure by now you�ve heard of the threatening letters Miss Sebohn and Mr. Darkforest have been receiving,� he said.
�Yes, sir,� Bertram replied. �Are they going to be assigned protection then, sir?�
Eric nodded. It still amazed him how intuitive Silverwebb was when it came to things like this. �I want you to be assigned to lead Miss Sebohn�s security, Bertram,� he stated, locking eyes with the smaller man.
Silverwebb�s eyes widened, in surprise. �Isn�t that� a little unusual, sir? I mean, female Wardens are generally assigned to female protectees, aren�t they?�
�There aren�t any to spare at the moment, Bertram,� Eric explained. �Between the first lady and the three first daughters, they�re all taken up.�
�I understand, sir,� Bertram said firmly. �I won�t disappoint you.�
�I know that,� Eric said softly. �Michael Sweeney will be assigned to head Darkforest�s detail. You two have worked together before so that shouldn�t be a problem.�
�Yes, sir,� Bertram said in agreement.
***
A short time later, they were shown into the Oval office to meet with the President. Bertram stood his ground as the older man looked him at appraisingly. He knew most of the other Watch Wardens had at least a few inches on him and he wondered how the older man would react.
Bertram almost smiled, when Eric said, �Mr. President, two of our best Wardens: Bertram Silverwebb and Michael Sweeney.�
Bertram rolled his eyes to one side, to regard Michael as the President asked, �Which one�s whose.� He raised a brow at the question and was rewarded with a smirk from Michael. Clearly, the President was trying to decide if the men would be adequate for the task.
The president asked nearly the same question he�d asked earlier about a female Warden being assigned instead of him and Eric replied quickly, �Unfortunately, none that we can spare. However, I think we can trust Mr. Silverwebb to be discrete.�
As his superior turned to him, Bertram realized that he was expecting a reply of some kind. Standing nearly at attention, he said, �Yes, sir, I can assure you that I will use the utmost discretion.�
�That�s good to hear,� the President said, nodding happily. �They�re a good pair of speechwriters. I�d hate for anything to happen to them.�
Bertram�s eyes narrowed. He wasn�t sure if the President meant that he�d hate for Sebohn�s reputation to be ruined by an indiscrete Watch Warden or if he was referring to the threat against them. Assuming he meant the later, Bertram assured him, �Mr. President, I�d throw myself in front of a bullet for Miss Sebohn.�
�Let�s hope it doesn�t come to that,� Eric said softly.
Bertram was tempted to smile when he saw the concern on the older man�s face, but managed to nod silently instead.
The President nodded with him. �Yes, indeed.� The older man turned to speak directly to Bertram and asked, �Have you ever met her, Mr. Silverwebb?�
Bertram cocked his head thoughtfully to one side. What did this man know that he didn�t? �Not yet, sir,� he said cautiously. �But it doesn�t matter.�
The older man looked somewhat surprised and turned back to Eric. �He�s certainly dedicated.�
�Yes, sir. They both are,� Eric agreed. �He�s also very intense.� Bertram heard the warning tone and glanced down at his feet to hide the smile that came to his lips. Eric had been protective of him from the start. At first it was because of his diminutive size and lack of training. Later, Bertram was sure, the protectiveness stemmed from the strong fatherly instincts Eric felt toward his people. The fact that Bertram had lost his father not all that long ago meant that Eric was even more fatherly toward him.
�Shall I bring them to the Communications Offices so they can meet the bards now?� Eric asked softly.
Bertram blinked in surprise. He knew that the two members of the President�s staff had received threats, but he hadn�t realized that they were actually bards. Bertram didn�t really hear the president�s reply to the question, but answered with Michael nonetheless, saying, �Thank you, Mr. President.�
As the small group left the office, Bertram said, �Equisetians Against Bardic Influence again, sir?�
Eric nodded and continued down the hall toward where the two were working at that moment. Michael smiled and asked, �You�d throw yourself in front of bullet for her, huh, Bertram?�
Bertram grinned. �It is what is expected of us, Michael,� he stated softly.
�Well, yeah,� Michael agreed. �But we don�t usually point that out to people.�
The younger man shrugged and said, �I got the feeling he wasn�t too sure about my abilities. Overkill, you think?�
�Just a little,� Michael replied, chuckling.
**
After they�d dropped Michael with the cantankerous Mr. Darkforest, Eric and Bertram went next door to meet with his deputy. �Miss Sebohn?� Eric called, stepping into the room. Bertram stayed slightly behind the older man.
He caught a hint of movement behind the desk, near the floor, but could tell that Eric didn�t see her there. �Just a minute,� a sweet voice responded to Eric�s call.
Bertram�s supposition that Eric couldn�t see the young woman was confirmed when the older man called her again. A moment later, she popped up from behind the desk and Bertram�s breath caught in his throat. He knew she was having a conversation with his superior, but he couldn�t hear what was being said over the buzzing in his head. She was easily the most beautiful woman he�d ever laid eyes on. Her thick dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a nicely tailored suit-dress in a shade of blue that accentuated the color of her eyes.
Eric stepped between them to hand her a paper to sign, giving Bertram a chance to regain his senses. �Is this him?� she asked, nodding toward Bertram.
�Yes, ma�am,� he managed, stepping toward her.
�Hi!� she said enthusiastically, extending a hand for him to shake.
�Hello, Miss Sebohn,� he said softly, almost afraid that if he took her hand he wouldn�t be able to make himself let it go.
�Call me Beth, please,� she said congenially. Cocking her head, in question, she asked, �And I can call you?�
Bertram blinked in surprise. He suddenly wasn�t sure if Eric had told her his name or not. Unsure how to respond, he said, �I�m Bertram Silverwebb, ma�am.� Perhaps, if he kept the relationship formal, he�d be able to regain control of his emotions, Bertram thought silently.
�Beth, please,� she insisted gently. �So, may I call you Bertram?�
�If you wish, ma�- Mistress Beth,� he answered, lapsing almost reflexively into the formal bardic title that he knew the woman had earned.
�Thanks,� she said, flashing him a smile that almost took his breath away. �Are you gonna be with me all the time?�
�Most of the time, m- Mistress Beth,� he answered softly. Suddenly, he realized what she might be asking and blushed. �Of course, I wouldn�t follow you into�well�� He trailed off, not sure how to say what was on his mind. He didn�t even notice when Eric left them alone.
Beth, however, thanked the man as he left and then turned back to Bertram. �So,� she said, suddenly at a loss. �Hi.�
Bertram fought the urge to study his feet as he said, �Hello.�
�Um�are you hungry?� she asked.
Bertram grinned slightly. Clearly, she didn�t know what the proper protocols between protector and protectee were. Bertram found that he didn�t really care and answered, �I guess.�
�Okay, alright,� she said. �So�I guess we go to the � the cafeteria or something.�
�Alright,� he said. It almost was like a date, if Bertram suspended the reality of the situation for a little while. As long as he could maintain a professional air when they were outside the secure locality of the White House, he could relax a little. Smiling even more, he escorted Beth down to the cafeteria.
End�