“i don’t know if you’ve seen any articles yet,” he said as he resettled into his seat beside her, “but i glanced at twitter and they’re all calling you the second lady. i thought you’d like to know.” it was something that made his heart swell with pride and affection, that they could make their relationship official in just those little ways. “also, i saw the tsar of russia on my way back from the bathroom, and it got me thinking. are we inviting every living royal to our wedding, or do you want something smaller?” this was nice, but hardly very intimate, and as much as sebastian enjoyed flaunting his wealth, this was a bit much even for him.
image was everything in their world, every move they made from now on would be publicly documented, tracked and traced, at the very least until after sebastian’s term as president came to an end. she knew that this affected that, they both knew, not everyone was going to approve of them. “ we’ll get through it. ” her words spoke of a confidence she didn’t entirely have, especially when he looked so dejected. “ fox was always going to have a poor opinion of us, of you. but you can’t be removed from office for this because you’re not doing anything wrong. ” her hand rose to stroke at his neck, hoping it might soothe him a little. “ things will be easier when the interview comes out, when people understand this is serious for us, and not you having a mid life crisis. ”
he sighed and slotted his face into the curve of her neck. it was a position he’d found himself in before: the time matt hearst had taken a cheap shot at sebastian’s abilities as a father; the time their numbers had fallen dangerously low in california; the time dora had asked questions about her mother and he hadn’t known what to say. there was a particular comfort in sutton’s weight, warmth, the smell of her perfume, the steadiness of her breathing; a unique closeness and tenderness which soothed a lonely soul. “i just – it was easier, when it was just us. but we can – i’m happy. i am. now i can marry you and talk about you to anyone who will listen and i can keep a picture of you in my wallet next to the ones i have of the girls.” it was a good thing, and he knew it. they just needed to jump this hurtle and there’d be relative peace. hopefully. he groaned. “god, am i due for a mid-life crisis already? maybe i’ll buy a golf course.”
she cared less about the age difference but more of how young sutton was when they had first met, dianna definitely thought that any teenager she has met since she was over twenty-five would remain children in her eyes until the end of time! “like ripping a band-aid… i guess if the president can’t fire you then it’ll be a fool-proof plan. that is, until something happens and you’ll be forced to face a very public breakup —” she had to raise up her hand before sebastian would undoubtedly start to argue his piece. “ — now spare me the ‘we’re for real!’ and ‘we’re going to be together forever!’, no one knows how the future is going to look. and god, she’s young — young people fall in and out of love all the time.”
“thanks for the well-wishes,” he grumbled, though he said nothing else. he was hardly the we’re going to be together forever type, anyway. his life had taught him that that was never the case. no matter how hard one tried, forever was never guaranteed. “you’re preaching to the choir. you of all people know that i’m painfully aware of the fact that we can’t control what happens a year, two years, ten years down the line.” she’d known amanda. she’d seen sebastian after her death. of all the people she could’ve preached to about how the future is uncertain, he should’ve been last on her list. “she’s twenty-five,” he pointed out. “and we’ve been together for just under three years. we’ve talked about marriage, kids – hell, she’s a signature away from adopting alex and dora. we waited until we were sure before we went public.”
“ excuse me, i will not tolerate insults being thrown my way, rockefeller. ” but being called petty could hardly qualify as being insulted, especially when the words came out of a mouth that still showed teeth in the wide grin of someone who had just stopped laughing. “ no, they thought we’d apologise for something we never did and bow down to them. some people are just delusional like that. ” barbie puts her glass down, nodding her head while doing so. “ you definitely should be held accountable for that. it’s unbearable. ”
“oh, lighten up! petty’s not even an insult, these days.” weren’t they all at least a little petty? he sobered up slightly as she continued, though her words still ended up pulling another soft laugh out of him. “what are they so incensed about? i’ve kept a close eye on the news, and there’s really nothing worth starting so much conflict over." so italy cut ties with san marino, so what? was this about the san marinese crown prince? a tragedy, but in truth, the man should’ve had better security. he shrugged, held up his hands. “my apologies. maybe you can pull some strings to get us all out of here.”
“ miracles happen. your landslide victory proved that. this is probably the beginning of a new era. hopefully. ” she was tired of news being worse and worse. perhaps switzerland should have chosen ignorance and neutrality. “ and in 2024, do you think the white house will still have a whitmore under its roof ? ” she hadn’t come up with a tactful way to bring up the latest news. her brows rose just a tad as she waited for a reaction. “ quite splash. ”
he shrugged. miracles, years of hard work and careful planning... what was the difference? he paused briefly at the question, trying to suss out her feelings on the matter before he answered. if she’d already decided to be upset with him, he’d need to be far more diplomatic in his response. “i hope so,” he said, finally. it was the truth, but it gave him room to move. “it was certainly a strong statement. but, you know... the clearer you make something, the less room there is for misinterpretation.”
“sutton… really?” dianna did not have to spare feelings when it came to sebastian rockefeller, she had no responsibility towards him bar her status as his children’s godmother – and of course, a dear friend of his late wife. honestly, he could’ve had his pick from america’s finest political dynasties! “don’t get me wrong, i don’t give a shit about the age difference- but if you care so much about public perception why would you make such a big statement at the inaugural ball out of all places? wait… can the president still fire you even if you get sworn in?” ( @rockefcller )
“yes, really.” of all the conversations he’d known he’d have to have, this was perhaps the one he dreaded most. if for no other reason than for his girls’ sakes; he hardly felt beholden to dianna, and were it not for alex and dora he likely would have distanced himself from her a number of years prior. he hummed, stifled a laugh. if she didn’t care about the age difference, what exactly did she care about? he wondered what her tactic would be. “the inaugural ball... we were both going, anyway. it made sense to go together. we were tired of hiding.” a pause. “no, she can’t. the only way to remove me from office now is through impeachment.”
“ the girls are asleep in their seats, ” sutton announced as she closed the door to the small office. she’d almost joined the girls as they’d fallen asleep, exhausted after the last few weeks of preparing for the inauguration. instead she settled herself into sebastian’s lap and dropped her head onto his shoulder. “ do you think we’re in for it when we get back ? there are so many people i wasn’t honest with. ”
her entrance was a welcome distraction from the inaugural press coverage that he’d been occupying himself with. his phone clattered onto an end table, a fox article left unread, and his arms wrapped around her waist. “probably,” he said. he hadn’t given much thought to what other royals would think; his thoughts were focused on the states. “it’s only been a few hours and fox is already calling for my removal, so i’d say we have some storms to weather before we can go back to relative peace.”
20 JANUARY 2020: THE UNITED STATES HOLDS ITS PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
at noon today, the united states swore in their president for another four years. kathleen whitmore, the incumbent candidate, won the election in november in a landslide victory. today, she and her running mate, sebastian rockefeller, stood up in front of the nation and took their oaths of office.
and when vice president rockefeller stood, the american people were shocked as first daughter sutton whitmore stood up alongside him.
miss whitmore held the bible while rockefeller was sworn in, an honor typically reserved for the candidate’s spouse ( as we saw with president whitmore, whose bible was held by her husband, first gentleman james whitmore iii ). rockefeller is not currently married, so it has largely been assumed that one or both of his daughters would stand up with him when he took his oath. as we saw today, those assumptions proved incorrect.
this sent the nation into a tailspin, with gossip sights and political analysts alike speculating about the nature of the vice president’s relationship with the youngest whitmore. there were still questions as to whether or not they are romantically involved, but those were quickly answered by the couple’s joint attendance at the inaugural ball.
when asked about the relationship, rockefeller stated only that he and miss whitmore are in love, and that he had no comment beyond that. kathleen whitmore also gave no comment, though we think that the president’s tight-lipped expression tells us everything we need to know.
the reactions were mixed. many felt favorably toward the couple, showing support and wishing them happiness on various social media platforms. others, most notably fox news, reacted with scorn, disappointment, or complete outrage. fox specifically stated that the relationship is a “disgrace,” going so far as to say that rockefeller should be removed from office due to the scandal.
“poor sutton is in such classless company, she could single-handedly raise the reputation of america but her brother certainly isn’t making things easier for her.” beautiful, educated, interesting – the entirety of the younger demographic could look up to her and follow by her example. “does this mean that you’ll be sending american troops down to austria now? that gorgeous italian prince has everyone on their toes now, i never knew aggression could look so good on someone. but then again… look at the king of france.” if he becomes any more handsome, she wouldn’t blame anyone for ignoring his atrocities and surrendering.
“parker is... certainly a handful. sutton, though - well, she’s certainly america’s princess.” perhaps he let too much warmth seep into his voice, perhaps he let his face light up just a tad too much when sutton was mentioned, but he couldn’t help it. dianna’s words were good optics - sutton’s image as classy and composed would boost sebastian’s own. for a moment, there was a burst of pride and affection in his chest. as the mention of austria, he nearly rolled his eyes. “no, i don’t think so. at least, i haven’t heard anything from kathleen about it. i think, unless something changes, we’re going to let italy hold its own.” he ignored the other comments - dianna’s opinions on what made men attractive were hardly of any importance.
“ payback sounds so vengeful. ” she almost sounded offended but the shrug that came right after she finished sipping on her wine showed just how she felt the exact opposite of it. “ i suppose you’re right. they gave the cheek, the slap should not come as a surprise. ” a bible reference was probably not appropriate for the subject and the thought only made her laugh. “ prior to last summer i didn’t think i’d ever see your face again. we don’t get many politicians that aren’t monarchists join the programme. well, we didn’t. ”
“is it not vengeful?” he asked, flashing a teasing smile and reaching for his own wine. this was strange, but not unwelcome. “there, see - right there! petty! and very vengeful.” the biblical reference flew more or less over his head, though he laughed along with her nonetheless. "do you think they were prepared for retaliation? it seems like they weren’t. i’m surprised they haven’t responded yet.” austria had been silent so far. he could only imagine what was happening among its leaders. complete chaos, if he had to guess. he sipped his wine. “there has been an influx, hasn’t there? i guess i started a trend.”
in the united states, a governor serves as the chief executive officer and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states, functioning as both head of state and head of government therein. as such, governors are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. as state leaders, governors advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes. governors carry out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint. a majority of governors have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.
the NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES is a geographical region of the united states. its divisions are new england ( connecticut, maine, massachusetts, new hampshire, rhode island, and vermont ) and the mid-atlantic ( new jersey, new york, and pennsylvania ). although it lacks a unified cultural identity, the northeastern region is the nation's most economically developed, densely populated, and culturally diverse region. of the nation's four census regions, the northeast has the second-largest percentage of residents living in an urban setting ( with 85 percent ) and is home to the nation's largest metropolitan area ( new york city ).
NEW ENGLAND.
CONNECTICUT : laura wilmer ( cate blanchett ), republican, since 2011
MAINE : caitlin westcott ( ellen pompeo ), republican, since 2019
MASSACHUSETTS : felicity benson ( rashida jones ), democrat, since 2015
NEW HAMPSHIRE : christi goode ( reese witherspoon ), democrat, since 2017
RHODE ISLAND : adela sebti ( emmanuelle chriqui ), democrat, since 2015
VERMONT : derick han ( john cho ), democrat, since 2017
MID-ATLANTIC STATES.
NEW JERSEY : shaun russell ( laurence fishburne ), democrat, since 2018
NEW YORK : isabelle andrews ( zoe saldana ), democrat, since 2021
PENNSYLVANIA : violet beck ( rooney mara ), republican, since 2015
the MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES is one of four census regions of the united states census bureau, occupying the north central part of the united states. its divisions are east north central ( illinois, indiana, michigan, ohio, and wisconsin ) and west north central ( iowa, kansas, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, north dakota, and south dakota) ). chicago is the most populous city in the american midwest and the third most populous in the entire country. chicago and its suburbs, called chicagoland, form the region’s largest metropolitan area with 10 million people.
EAST NORTH CENTRAL STATES.
ILLINOIS : tracey marsh ( sally hawkins ), republican, since 2019
INDIANA : garth butler ( justin chambers ), republican, since 2017
MICHIGAN : donna randall ( viola davis ), democrat, since 2019
OHIO : philip tirrell ( donald glover ), democrat, since 2019
WISCONSIN : percy hewitt ( john mulaney ), democrat, since 2019
WEST NORTH CENTRAL STATES.
IOWA : kelly grant ( rachel weisz ), democrat, since 2017
KANSAS : dale garner ( clancy brown ), republican, since 2019
MINNESOTA : sadie lawrence ( winona ryder ), democrat, since 2019
MISSOURI : andrea miller ( michele dockery ), republican, since 2018
NEBRASKA : silas nelson ( sam elliott ), republican, since 2015
NORTH DAKOTA : samuel fulton ( daveed diggs ), democrat, since 2016
SOUTH DAKOTA : alicia atkins ( aja naomi king ), democrat, since 2019
the SOUTHERN UNITED STATES is is a geographic and cultural region of the united states. its divisions are the south atlantic ( delaware, florida, georgia, maryland, north carolina, south carolina, virginia, and west virginia ), east south central ( alabama, kentucky, mississippi, and tennessee ), and west south central ( arkansas, louisiana, oklahoma, and texas ). the south does not precisely coincide with the geographic south of the united states but is commonly defined as including the states that fought for the confederate states of america in the american civil war. the deep south lies entirely within the southeastern corner. the region is known for its culture and history, having developed its own customs, musical styles, and cuisines, which have distinguished it in some ways from the rest of the united states. the southern ethnic heritage is diverse and includes strong european ( mostly english, scotch-irish, scottish, irish, and french ), african, and some native american components.
SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES.
DELAWARE : cornelius bancroft ( michael shannon ), republican, since 2017
FLORIDA : angela valdes ( gina torres ), democrat, since 2019
GEORGIA : gabrielle shaw ( octavia spencer ), democrat, since 2019
MARYLAND : damien park ( daniel dae kim ), democrat, since 2015
NORTH CAROLINA : artie barnes ( sam richardson ), democrat, since 2017
SOUTH CAROLINA : shannon todd ( leslie mann ), republican, since 2017
VIRGINIA : rebekah milton ( julianne moore ), republican, since 2018
WEST VIRGINIA : lori taylor ( helen mccrory ), republican, since 2017
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL STATES.
ALABAMA : maynard gardner ( richard jenkins ), republican, since 2011
KENTUCKY : wilson beaumont ( kevin costner ), republican, since 2019
MISSISSIPPI : julianne hargrave ( amy adams ), republican, since 2012
TENNESSEE : shane montgomery ( andrew lincoln ), republican, since 2019
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL STATES.
ARKANSAS : jason wickham ( eddie redmayne ), republican, since 2015
LOUISIANA : christine robson ( antonia thomas ), republican, since 2016
OKLAHOMA : michele abrams ( lea thompson ), republican, since 2019
TEXAS : lorraine crawford ( kelly reilly ), republican, since 2015
the WESTERN UNITED STATES is the region comprising the westernmost states of the united states. its divisions are the mountain states ( arizona, colorado, idaho, montana, nevada, new mexico, utah, and wyoming ) and the pacific states ( alaska, california, hawaii, oregon, and washington ). as american settlement in the united states expanded westward, the meaning of the term “the west” changed. before about 1800, the crest of the appalachian mountains was seen as the western frontier. the frontier moved westward and eventually the lands west of the mississippi river were considered “the west.” the west contains several major biomes, including arid and semi-arid plateaus and plains, particularly in the american southwest; forested mountains, including two major ranges, the american sierra nevada and rocky mountains; the long coastal shoreline of the american pacific coast; and the rainforests of the pacific northwest.
MOUNTAIN STATES.
ARIZONA : daniel rivera ( alfonso herrera ), democrat, since 2019
COLORADO : wyatt harvey ( forest whitaker ), democrat, since 2015
IDAHO : malcolm jackson ( michael fassbender ), republican, since 2019
MONTANA : omar faraj ( marwan kenzari ), democrat, since 2021
NEVADA : noelle bloomfield ( maya rudolph ), democrat, since 2019
NEW MEXICO : oscar méndez ( diego luna ), democrat, since 2019
UTAH : william daniels ( seth meyers ), republican, since 2021
WYOMING : colleen leighton ( felicity jones ), republican, since 2019
PACIFIC STATES.
ALASKA : veronica filippova ( mila kunis ), republican, since 2018
CALIFORNIA : maria reyes ( salma hayek ), democrat, since 2019
HAWAII : makaio kekoa ( keanu reeves ), democrat, since 2014
OREGON : isadora tyler ( susan sarandon ), democrat, since 2015
WASHINGTON : felix kessler ( jeff goldblum ), democrat, since 2013
“yes! and what’s a path more righteous than one studded with diamonds?” certainly a path she’d rather not go down, one’s life could be dreadful in itself, why must she deprive herself ( or anyone dear to her, really ) to a life without luxury? “so does the new promotion mean that you’ll be heading to washington? i thought americans are more interested in homeland security than foreign threats. you’re lucky that europe is fighting amongst themselves… well- technically we’re both lucky in that front.”
he tilted his head to the side and studied her for a fleeting moment. “sure,” he said, finally, because he had no other reply. “at least i know they’ll never be poorly dressed.” not that he was particularly concerned about it. still, he was trying to play his cards right, with dianna. he didn’t like to be on uncertain terms with her, not when the girls needed her around. they were already practically alienated from amanda’s family thanks to matt’s antics during the election. “no, unfortunately for you. i’m staying here while kathleen holds down the fort at home. it’s... less about foreign threats, and more about making friends. forging connections, and such. we couldn’t let the first children serve as our only ambassadors forever; we’d be doomed.”
“ i’ll give it to the girls and you can take advantage of it while they’re young. ” it was a joke, of course it was — not that barbara was a stranger to giving people houses or land as presents but the previous times she had bought them. his question made her chuckle, shaking her head. “ no, not the plan but if it gets to it, it gets to it. who am i to get in fate’s way. ” how things were to be played out was dependent on a few other factors. it was complicated to explain. “ isn’t it hilarious how we’re now each other’s gossiping buddies. ”
sebastian huffed out a laugh and dropped the line of thinking, though he was now considering a summer home somewhere secluded. maybe he’d just buy a private island and call it a day. he stirred his coffee and considered for a moment. “i suppose it’s payback for the stunt they pulled with switzerland and spain a while back?” it was the only reason he could think of, unless there was something else that he didn’t know about. “it’s... ironic might be a better word. prior to last summer i didn’t think i’d ever talk to you again.”
she waved away his apologies deftly with fluttering fingers, not bothering to respond. “yes of course, what are godmothers for, right?” money was certainly no object, might as well send her husband a huge bill to remind him of her existence. “they’re going to be official american princesses now, might as well look the part. but you have to promise me that they wont pair them with those… costume things that you put them in for halloween. those flimsy things would even make million dollar tiaras look plastic.”
"i believe the official oath was leading them on the path of righteousness.” seb thought that picking dianna to lead anyone down godly paths was a joke in and of itself. amanda was the one who felt a need for godparents, and so godparents the children got. if you asked sebastian, it was all a crock of bullshit. “i’m sure they’ll love that.” the last thing alexandra needed was to be told once again that she was a princess. if she heard it one more time, seb feared she might believe it. “ah - don’t worry, you and i are both hoping those costumes never make any repeat appearances. they were uncomfortable."
“ but it was as big as mine, we complimented each other. now yours has gotten out of hand. ” she continued to talk even though almost every other word became a light laugh. “ how amanda managed to keep you in check goes beyond me. ” and on top of that, it couldn’t have been easy marrying a rockefeller. she felt hollow for a moment, it always happened when amanda was mentioned. “ you’re on the right track now. a few terms tops and you will be running for the big seat. it’s too bad you can’t make history as the youngest president. well, unless something happens to whitmore. ” she picked up her coffee cup. “ the victory was astonishing. louisiana. who would have thought. maybe it’s the picture perfect family. ”
“hardly! i think my ego is much better managed! yours, however, i can’t account for.” he was laughing, too, and feeling very light. it was nice, to talk to ebba, and even nicer to do it following such a big win. “ah, you and me both. she had a lot of patience with me.” amanda’s patience was the only reason they’d been able to stay together, he was sure. a less patient woman wouldn’t have indulged him at all. “ah - well, you know, 2024 is right around the corner.” he breezed over the idea of something happening to kathleen. it was best not to get his hopes up. “louisiana was certainly a shock to all of us. thank god for it, though. matt would’ve had a field day in the courts had our win not been so decisive.”
“ gotta let the kids play every once in a while. ” barbara had a feeling this would be the only subject she’d be able to talk about for the next few weeks — not that it bothered her but it sure would get boring in a few days time. “ perhaps we will. i have been wanting a new summer house for a while. don’t you think italian sounds a lot better than german anyway ? even the name vienna has an italian ring to it. ”
he hummed absentmindedly. he and barbie had very different definitions of play. her next words startled a laugh out of him. “save a chunk of land for me, a summer home in the austrian countryside doesn’t sound too bad.” he paused, considering. “not that i’m expecting a straight answer, but - is that your plan? taking austria, i mean.” there’d be no protest from him if it was. he was just curious; what was the point in having royal connections if he didn’t know the news before it happened? “i don’t mean to pry, but given our... history, i figured that if anyone would tell me what’s happening, it’d be you.”
“your cousin seems to be having a nice time,” he commented, gesturing to the newspaper that had been set down on the table between them. he didn’t sound angry, and he wasn’t. if anything, he was amused. it would only become a problem if italy began seeking aid. given the news, it seemed they wouldn’t need it. “do you think vienna is nice this time of year? maybe the italians should consider building some new palaces.”
