Episode 15: Speech (Xander)

Xander scrolled back through the footage and freeze-framed it on the last sentence of Spence’s speech again. He stared at the little bastard’s face: brow furrowed, jaw set, eyes lit with fervor and determination.

He pressed play and closed his eyes while Spence’s voice announced, “If you’re poor, gay, straight, wealthy…I will hear you and I will care.”

Little bastard.

Gwen pressed her legs against him, where they draped over his lap. “How stressed are you?”

“Headache,” Xander said. “He worded it well.”

What he really wanted to know was what the hell kind of father Zero was for letting his son grow up like this. None of Xander’s kids would dream of being gay, let alone standing in front of classmates and cameras and half the president’s security force and announcing it to the world.

Still…Spence had balls, you had to give him that. Gay balls, but maybe that was the kind of balls they needed.

“Do I detect a hint of maybe proud?” Gwen teased. “Or maybe accepting? Or something that might not be all bad?”

“He has guts and he’s clever.” Xander looked at her. “Maybe he can pull it off.”

She shifted and massaged his thigh with her toes. “I like the idea. I would have been more open to exploring ideas growing up if it wasn’t illegal.”

He gaped at her now. “You what?”

Yes, there was definitely an appeal there. The idea of watching Gwen with another woman, their smooth, perfect skin moving together…

She ran her hand down his arm. “I like feeling good,” she said, meeting his eyes. “I probably would have explored options, if it were a choice. I don’t think there’s harm in exploring. And if that’s not wrong, and he really does love his boyfriend…” She shrugged her shoulders.

Why did she have to do this right before a speech? An important speech, nonetheless.

He focused. “He’s a good kid. I don’t want him to die.”

She climbed onto his lap, facing him, and kneaded his shoulders. “He’s smart. I love that you sent protection for the speech. Are you making a statement soon?”

He closed his eyes at her touch.

His first wife, Fiona, who had died three years ago, had been amazing in bed but a little lacking in the personality department. Gwen was somehow both enticing and interesting, and on top of that she managed to surprise him.

He wondered if she’d been pro-gay this whole time, and just holding her tongue because it was a dangerous line of thought.

Spence hadn’t held his tongue.

Xander was going to make sure that kid took over someday, assuming the kid lived long enough. Being president wasn’t a job just anyone could do, but he thought Spence had what it took.

“On the patio at noon,” he told her.

He reshaped his thoughts of the speech. It was one thing to come out neutral toward Spence’s efforts, but what if he opened his speech with sweeping support of Spence and his plans?

If Gwen was hiding opinions, who knew how many others were.

Maybe they could make this a country worth fighting for.

“Of course I’m coming,” Gwen said, and she kissed him just to confuse that message. “Do you want me to smile and look pretty or say something? I have the perfect dress.”

He wondered what other opinions she kept from him out of necessity. Who she was, when she was fully open.

“Is there something you’d like to say?” he offered, running his hand through her hair.

She looked up at the ceiling, exposing her neck for kisses. “I think I should. Maybe the family stuff – that we love our nephew and we will always stand beside him?”

“That’s good.” Better than what he had planned. He really needed to get his shit together. The speech was in twenty minutes. “You can say something about love too if you want to. I’d sound like an ass if I said it.”

She looked at him again and moved her fingers down the side of his face until they rested along his jawline. “I think you’re at risk of sounding like an ass no matter what you say. It’s either going to be cheesy or delicately phrased.” She kissed him again. “He’s a jerk for making you do this. I had plans for lunch.”

From her teasy tone, he could tell how pleased she was, how proud of Spence.

He needed to channel more of her.

He kissed her more, tugging on her upper lip with his teeth, and let the kiss linger between them for a moment before he joked, “He has brilliant timing, then. It sounds like your afternoon might be free.”

“Free for what?” she teased. “Scrapbooking?”

What was the most boring thing he could think of? Not scrapbooking, that could get fun if the right pictures were used.

“Lace-making,” he decided.

“Hmm…” she mused against his mouth. “Sounds like my afternoon might not be free anymore.” She kissed him. “I love lace-making.” She slid off him. “Let’s go give a speech and be amazing so we can goof off later.”

“Goof off?” He repeated, amused. He’d never heard anyone call sleeping together goofing off.

Besides, he wanted her now, not after the speech. He’d never get through it this distracted.

“Oh,” she murmured solemnly, a smile in her green eyes. “Is this serious lace-making?”

He reached under her shirt and undid the clasps on her brassiere. “Life and death.”

She offered her hand, and pulled him to standing. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Do you want to do something life-making?”

He and Fiona had five kids together, a strong number. The strongest number. And their youngest, Blaze, had just celebrated his fifth birthday last week.

He wanted kids with Gwen, yes.

Absolutely.

Five of them, for power. Five when his fifth with Fiona was five years old. He could feel the strength of it, the magic and natural protection.

“Yes,” he said, and he kissed her more intently.

He carried her to the bedroom, because at least security knew not to bother them there, and as they kissed and Gwen breathed in his ear, he felt his mind narrow into a focus on something, finally. Up until now it had been shredded, pulled in dozens of directions, but Gwen focused him and when they finished he knew what he wanted his speech to be.

He helped her dress, and she tied his necktie, kissing him. She always made it a little too tight on purpose and then loosened it while they kissed.

“Ready?” he asked.

She wore a red floral-print dress and she twirled for him. “Ready enough. What do you think?”

He kissed her again. “I think,” he teased. “No one will remember what the press conference is really about.”

“I think I love you and your bias,” she teased back, as they walked toward the patio. She held the door open for him. “Let’s do this before we don’t,” she urged.

It took a few minutes, because somehow even though Xander gave speeches from this patio all the time the press still had to sort out lighting and precedence for questions, but finally he and Gwen stood together.

He held her hand.

He’d moved the podium out of the way. He didn’t need cards for a speech he actually meant for once.

He cleared his throat and tucked his left hand into his pocket, casual.

“This morning, our nephew Spence Lavesque, announced his intention to run for governor. His platform, of comparable opportunities for all regardless of alliances, station in life, or magical ability, is one our family supports.”

Let the media choke on that.

Maybe his mom, wherever she was, would choke on it too. He hoped she was watching.

“The time has come for change in our land. No longer will we fight our enemies for the right to freedoms we do not enjoy. No longer will we judge our brothers and sisters against the tapestry of outdated expectations. Every citizen has value.”

He looked at the sycamore tree that stood just past the patio. He loved that it was there, something in the distance to focus on so he could forget the cameras and the people.

“From this day forward we will enforce a moratorium on biased hiring practices. Companies who favor family or cult over the best candidate will be taxed and fined.” It would be a nightmare of complaints, but it would create jobs because someone would need to investigate every claim.

Shit. He should have kept the damn podium. This was the kind of part of a speech where he usually liked to shift his papers and pause for effect.

“It is no longer acceptable to look beyond our borders and congratulate ourselves for being superior to the rest of our world. Tomorrow I want us to wake up with the knowledge that we are a better people, a better nation, than we were today. We should see the future as an opportunity for each one of us to ensure that everyone in this great nation looks at our land as a place to live and not a place to survive.”

He had a nice momentum now. This felt right.

“If we can’t provide that to each other, we are no better than the people we fight to protect ourselves from. Beginning now, the arrests of gays, lesbians, and those protecting them, will stop. Those currently incarcerated will be pardoned. The funds used to provide for their care and upkeep in the prisons will be channeled into improving housing and infrastructure.”

Now for the important part. He looked into the cameras. “Those who seek to injure or ostracize anyone benefitting from these changes will find themselves at the mercy of the arm of justice. We have a great respect for our citizens and we trust all of you in this time of transition to remember that every citizen is a valuable asset to our community. Tomorrow, let us greet the new day with hope for a better future for all.”

There was a stunned silence from the gathered crowd of media. It confirmed Xander’s suspicions that they’d expected him to condemn Spence and everything he stood for.

Gwen stepped forward into the silence. She gave Xander a small smile and then looked toward the cameras.

She was so gorgeous, and had a great mind too. “Part of me hates to add to that ending, but,” she said with another smile to Xander, “it seems fitting at the same time. Like our words here today, the support for our nephew and the changes we are implementing do not end when we leave here. For years, we have fought to keep the Caelum at bay. We are excited and proud to endorse Spence as he takes on the endeavor to help the people within our city. We hope to see his love for his community inspire others in the same way he has inspired us.”

She stepped back, into the fold of his arms, and they stood together.

“Well done,” she whispered to him.

“You too.” He kissed the top of her head.

They looked out into the crowd together, ready to face the onslaught of questions.

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