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riversofmars · 1 year

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New fanfiction time! Yes, self-indulgent fanfiction should come with self-indulgent fanart!!! Inspired by Netflix's "Bodyguard", yet another AU for Liv and Helen to fall in love in. Sue me. They deserve it.

Summary: Following a successful stint in the Home Office, Dr. Helen Sinclair sets out to compete in the upcoming General Election. Things are far from straightforward, as numerous death threats are made against her and she is given personal protection despite her objections. While protection officer Liv Chenka turns out to be far from the burly guard type she had dreaded, her life is about to become very complicated indeed - and not just because someone is trying to kill her. Rating: Will go as high as Explicit but starts off General

Chapter 1

Liv Chenka smoothed her dark blazer down and tucked her brunette hair back as she adjusted the wire in her ear. It wasn’t so much a nervous habit as it was to make a good first impression, and be able to do her job to the best of her abilities. Anything less wasn’t an option. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her, allowing her eyes to scan the office she was in. She had been in the Palace of Westminster plenty of times on protective detail but never in the staff offices of the Members of Parliament, and certainly not having been asked there. She did her best to ignore the curious looks the staffers were shooting her as they walked past. The hustle and bustle was constant; this was certainly a busy time for all of them.

“Why now?” an exasperated, female voice sounded from behind the heavy office door she was waiting in front of. It didn’t bode well, but Liv tried her best to reign in her own apprehension. Remaining professional was of paramount importance in her line of work. “Security is already stifling!”

“Ma’am,” a male voice responded, that she knew to belong to the Chief of Staff of the office she found herself in. “This is a credible threat we’re dealing with.” He struck a reasonable tone. Getting MPs to agree to anything was a balancing act that Liv didn’t envy him for. She could only imagine this challenge increased with how important those MPs thought themselves, and ought to put people who were running for Prime Minister on the very top of that list. It only furthered her own misgivings with the job in question, but it wasn’t as though she had a choice. Orders were to be obeyed, as had been drilled into her all her career. Her own opinions were of no consequence. “You will be more visible publicly and with the intelligence MI5 has gathered… Please. It is necessary.”

“Do I not get a say in this matter?” Helen Sinclair - The Rt Hon. Dr. Helen Sinclair MP - Liv reminded herself, as she didn’t want to be caught out on the details - appeared a stubborn, opinionated woman. “I thought things would get easier when I resigned from the Home Office!”

“Please, Ma’am, I must-” The Chief of Staff didn’t appear a match for her, and the brunette idly wondered if the politician surrounded herself with weak men on purpose to feel more powerful.

“I will look weak if I have some burly guard type dogging my every move!” she snapped, and Liv hoped they were more considerate of the volume when discussing sensitive policy matters.

“Which is something I have requested the Met be conscious of when selecting the officer in question and they were,” the Chief of Staff sought to appease her. Liv certainly did not fit that stereotype, though she hoped she had been selected for something other than her appearance. Perhaps for her outstanding service record and the fact that no-one had come to serious harm on her watch… Surely that counted for more than being a woman of slim stature in her line of work.

“You’re not going to let me say ‘no’, are you?” Dr. Sinclair sighed, and Liv imagined her crossing her arms in front of her chest, staring him down with an icy glare as she had seen her employ in Parliament. The former Home Secretary was a popular politician, who was very visible and often engaged in debate. She was quite obviously very intelligent too, but the security officer didn’t think those were measures that made a good person. Plenty of her policy decisions had been divisive, particularly with the police and military forces…

“No,” the Chief of Staff stood his ground. It was a done thing anyway, it wasn’t as though the Met would simply shrug and ask Liv to come back even if the politician refused. Orders came from higher up than that. “This is for your own safety. You have clearly made some enemies during your term in office, and they’re all coming out of the woodwork now that you’ve announced your run.”

There was a pause and then a huff of reluctant agreement:

“Fine. Whatever. Show him in…”

“’Her’, Ma’am, and you do realise your walls are very thin?” Liv wanted to say but she knew better than that. She took a deep breath and waited patiently until the door was opened and she was asked inside.

The office wasn’t as big as Liv had expected, and not nearly as organised either. Folders of paperwork were stacked high on the desk, the walls lined with bookshelves filled to capacity. Dr. Helen Sinclair stood amongst it all, leaning onto her desk and peering at her over a pair of reading glasses.

“Allow me to introduce Sergeant Liv Chenka, formerly of the Royal Air Force, now part of the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London's Metropolitan Police Service,” the Chief of Staff introduced her with some fanfare. Liv imagined he was still trying to sell the idea to his superior. “She will be serving as your principal protection officer.”

Surprise flashed across the politician's pale complexion at the sight of her - but only for a moment. If one was to be successful in British politics, an ability to mask one's emotions was surely of utmost importance.

“Got tired of flying, Sergeant?” she asked impassively, but extended her hand to her. It was a start.

“Change of pace, Ma’am,” Liv answered quickly and grasped her hand in a firm handshake.

“I see,” she nodded, her tone completely neutral. “You’ll likely have that. Can’t imagine following me around is going to quite compare to the thrill. But apparently it is deemed necessary, so…” she shot a glare at her Chief of Staff. “I’m sure you have better things to do than wait here?” she prompted pointedly.

“Yes. I’ll leave you to it,” he nodded, a hue of pink shooting to his cheeks at the obvious dressing down. “Sergeant Chenka will fill you in on any operational details-”

“Yes. Thank you,” Dr. Sinclair pressed her lips to a thin line, and he took his cue to depart quietly, but swiftly. Liv waited patiently until the door closed behind him, more conscious of the risk of being overheard than they appeared to have been.

“So, Ma’am, I-” she started, but the politician cut her off as she dropped back into her chair.

“You really don’t need to go through the trouble, I know how this works,” she told her, pulling a folder in front of her and adjusting her glasses. “You will follow me wherever I go, making sure I don’t get killed. I’ve had personal protection before.”

“I see…” Liv wasn’t keen to start an argument. She would have to work her way around the other woman’s particularities. That, too, was part of the job. She observed her for a moment, intending to start fresh and compile her knowledge of her, ignoring her media-built prejudice.

Dr. Helen Sinclair, Member of Parliament for Tooting, was a middle-aged woman of considerable education. A linguist by degree prior to getting involved in politics, she’d built a career on top of a middle-of-the-road agenda, employing her looks and eloquence to great effect. Looking at her now, she certainly didn’t disappoint in person. She dressed well, even on a day where she wasn’t due in Parliament, in a slim, navy business dress. A grey blazer hung off the back of her chair and a half-drunk cup of tea stood on the desk amongst her paperwork. Her long blonde hair was tied into a somewhat more messy bun than she’d usually be seen with, and Liv ventured a guess that she was absent-mindedly fiddling with her hair as she worked, pulling apart her hair-do in the process.

“You’re welcome to wait outside, I’ll be a while yet,” the blonde stated without looking up, clearly having felt her eyes on her, and Liv took the opportunity to speak up.

“With your permission, Ma’am, I would like to have a look around the office, check the line of sight from the window and-” She tried her best to sound accommodating. A lot of what she did was based around trust and a good rapport with the person she was charged to protect. “Well, normally, I would want to stay with you. There already is security around the building and that wasn’t deemed enough… I’m charged with protecting you personally.” She had noticed the two security officers outside the office on the main corridor, and wasn’t keen to simply be a glorified guard at the door. She was trained for more than that, and it wouldn’t be enough if someone decided to line up a sniper through the office window.

“Is that strictly necessary?” Dr. Sinclair looked up and fixed her with a piercing stare. “I have work to do.” Her tone was measured but her eyes betrayed her annoyance.

“You won’t even know I’m here,” the security officer assured her, and simply received a huff in response.

“I doubt that very much.”

“Please, Ma’am… I just want to do my job,” she tried again, appealing to what she knew was an appreciation of the work ethic the other woman had. One thing she couldn’t fault her for, going from the briefings and personal observation of her, was her dedication to her work.

“Fine. Whatever. Just… don’t be in my way,” the MP decided, and returned her attention to the folder in front of her.

“I won’t be,” Liv promised, and set about examining the office as unobtrusively and professionally as she could. She got the sense she had her work cut out for her with this assignment, but it was certainly an important one if she was to protect the woman that would likely become their next Prime Minister. Whether she believed her to be deserving of the honour or even the right person for the job was a different matter, and utterly irrelevant.

---

Liv took up position by the window of the office on the second floor of the Palace of Westminster. It had a clear line of sight from the street, and was therefore her greatest concern if the threat didn’t stem from the politicians own rank and file. That was always an option too. Political opponents, unhappy staffers… though MI5 believed the threat to stem from further afield. A member of the public, perhaps part of an underground organisation or a member of a disenfranchised portion of society, someone who didn’t agree with the policies Dr. Sinclair stood for or the decisions she had made while in the Home Office… Liv had attended a short briefing on the subject that morning before taking up her assignment, and the sad truth was that the intelligence services were simply not sure, and had little to go on. And that was why she was there.

The security officer mulled over the intricacies of her assignment as she watched the politician work. She had hardly looked up from her paperwork in the past hour, diligently going through letters from constituents that Liv would have rather opened herself just to be on the safe side, but she didn’t want to step on the other woman’s toes. Knowing that mail was scanned before being handed to the Members of Parliament, she had decided to trust the process. It didn’t stop her from following her progress with keen eyes, looking out for anything suspicious. Every now and then, there was a security update in her ear from protection command, informing of unusual activities around the building, foreign guests and dignitaries coming and going, and the movements of cabinet members, but nothing that concerned her directly. All in all, it was an uneventful start to her new posting.

A knock on the door interrupted the quiet and Dr. Sinclair startled. Not because she was jumpy, Liv figured, but because she had been so engrossed in her work.

“Come in,” she called, after brushing her hair behind her ears and whipping her reading glasses off.

“Dr. Sinclair?” A young woman stuck her head in, and the security officer searched her brain for information concerning her. Since being told about the assignment the previous Friday, she had taken the weekend to prepare, and among other things had gone through information on the politician’s staff. The visitor in question was Dr. Sinclair’s PA. “Would now be a good time to discuss the itinerary for the week?” she asked, cradling a file to her chest.

“Sure,” the politician nodded, extending her hand towards her, and the young woman rushed to pass over the folder. She seemed eager to please, and the MP rewarded her with a smile. “Feel free to get yourself a coffee, Sergeant,” she continued as she opened the file, and Liv was surprised to be spoken to. She had gotten the impression that the other woman had almost forgotten she was there. That had been the point anyway. Apart from that, however, the security officer objected to her instruction. She had no intention of leaving her side.

“It would be good for me to know the itinerary as well, Ma’am,” she retorted respectfully. “I’ll need to request that information anyway.” She could hardly do her job without knowing where they were going to be going. She would have liked to have her schedule on the weekend along with all the other relevant information, but had been told things were still in flux. While she hadn’t been happy about it, her superiors had told her that was something she would have to get used to. Life on the campaign trail was like that. There wouldn’t be many days like today where they remained in London for sedate work.

“Of course…” Dr. Sinclair huffed and from the angle, the security officer couldn’t tell whether she was rolling her eyes to boot - it felt like it. The PA shot Liv a questioning look, obviously not yet used to her presence. That would soon change, she hoped, and remained impassive, allowing the other women to continue.

“We’ll be focusing on the Midlands this week,” the girl started. “Stops in Warwick, Stafford, Nottingham, Birmingham, Coventry, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Northampton and Leicester,” she explained and Dr. Sinclair nodded along, running long, elegant fingers down the schedule.

“That seems like a lot of stops for one week,” Liv observed. She hadn’t meant to jump in, but that was a red flag in her book when it came to security. The more places they went, the more opportunities for someone to try something. The PA’s eyes shot back to her.

“We have a lot of time to make up for,” she told her, and Liv noted the slight shakiness in her voice, as though she was unsettled by her interruption. “While the party was going through the selection process after the PM announced he wouldn’t be standing for re-election, the opposition has been campaigning and-”

“You don’t have to justify yourself,” Dr. Sinclair interrupted sharply. “This looks fine. What’s important is that I can be here for the debate and vote on Wednesday.” She searched the page for that particular piece of information and tapped perfectly manicured nails onto the itinerary point.

“Yes. We have blocked Wednesday for that. We have worked out the schedule to reduce travelling times-” The PA’s eyes flashed up to Liv once more and the brunette made sure to set her expression into something impassive, fearing she had given away how much these plans displeased her.

“I will need this schedule,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“And you will have it, Sergeant,” Dr. Sinclair interrupted and this time, she turned around, scowling at her, visibly annoyed. “Now please, can you keep out of this? I seem to remember you said I wouldn’t even know you were here?” That was a strike against her, Liv realised. She was still finding her feet with this assignment and she was off to a poor start.

“Sorry, Ma’am…” the security officer lowered her eyes respectfully, which seemed to appease the politician for the time being. She returned her attention to her staffer.

“Right, so. Warwick - talk at the university, I take it?” she prompted, and her PA nodded quickly, jumping back to attention.

“Yes, indeed,” she nodded eagerly. “Stafford, then-”

Liv observed the exchange with mild interest, taking note of the stops they would be making. She was glad that travel arrangements and security at those events would not be her concern. While it meant working with numerous security details every day and liaising with them, when it came down to it her only focus would be the MP herself. And so she set out to study her mannerisms, resolving to learn everything she could so she could best protect her - regardless of any sort of contempt she treated her with in return.

---

By the end of the working day, there had been several of those instances of contempt. Dr. Sinclair was not, in fact, used to having personal protection, as much as she insisted to the contrary, and Liv was finding it difficult to navigate as she had refused any further attempt of them laying down ground rules.

“I can open doors for myself,” the politician hissed, as by the end of the day a considerable amount of tension had built up between them. Liv, for her part, had decided that the best way forward for the time being would be to struggle through and set hard borders where she could. Her attempts at building up rapport with the other woman had derailed at midday when they had disagreed about her lunch plans, and since then she had put off any attempt to do so until tomorrow. For the time being, all she wanted to do was get her home safe and sound.

“Not when they’re into a public space, no,” the security officer answered decisively and pushed through the door, walking ahead of her through the halls of Westminster Palace.

“No?” the blonde snapped behind her disbelievingly. “Did you just tell me ‘no’?” Liv ignored her, her eyes shooting up and down the road as she stepped out of the building. Dr. Sinclair walked straight into her outstretched arm, intended to keep her back until she had made sure there were no dangers awaiting them. At her insistence, they had walked out of a back entrance.

“Please get in the car, Ma’am,” the brunette instructed, walking her to the blacked out car that was waiting for them at the side of the building. Liv was pleased to find that at least these aspects of Parliamentary security were well rehearsed. She opened the car door for her.

Dr. Sinclair’s cheeks were flushed with annoyance by the time the protection officer joined her in the car, sitting across from her in the small limousine. Liv paid her no heed, not until she had reported to protection command that they had left the building and were headed to the MPs residence, gesturing for the driver to go.

“I hope you don’t expect to come into my house too!” the politician snapped when Liv pulled the wire out of her ear.

”I will be accompanying you home where I will hand off to the night duty office until tomorrow morning,” she answered dutifully.

The blonde huffed, exasperated, and swiped her phone open, hiding behind the task of checking her messages. Liv could see right through it, she was trained to, but she didn’t comment. She allowed her the comfort of it, hoping it would make her feel a little better, as she seemed entirely unhappy with the arrangement by this point. She cast her eyes out of the window, watching the lights of London fly by in a blur. She was still watchful, it was the nature of her job, but in a heavily armoured, unmarked car, she felt as safe as one could under the circumstances. She undid the blazer that strained across her chest from sitting down, and noticed the way Dr. Sinclair’s blinked up from her phone for a moment, likely catching sight of her gun holster. She looked back down so quickly that Liv couldn’t be sure it had really happened.

“I’m told you leave the house at 7am?” she asked into the heavy silence.

“Sometimes as early as 6am,” the MP answered coolly without looking up.

“I’ll be there at 5.30am,” Liv decided. It would be a short night. It was gone 8pm already, and likely to be another hour until she was home, but she would have to suck it up for the time being. Overtime was expected and calculated for. She merely received a huff of acknowledgement for her troubles. “I’m sorry my presence is an inconvenience for you,” she said, hoping to clear the air a little before the end of the day. “But there have been threats made against your life.”

“When aren’t there? That's what it’s like being in politics,” the blonde countered curtly, tapping her fingers onto her phone quickly, likely answering a message. As much as Liv loathed not to be afforded her whole attention, she decided to argue the point regardless - or perhaps because of it.

“These are credible threats,” she insisted calmly. “And once the threat is neutralised, you will be rid of me.” It was a promise she hoped she could keep. She was determined to reserve judgement, but on first impression, she wasn’t sure she wanted this assignment to last for any length of time.

Dr. Sinclair didn’t respond, and silence fell, just as heavy as before.

Liv resolved to make a mental list of what she would have to pack. Thursday to Friday would involve staying over in Birmingham, and she didn’t want to be caught out with her preparations. The job allowed for little down time to get those things in order.

“Have you been doing this long?” The MP’s voice unexpectedly brought her musings to a halt. The brunette looked up to find her still on her phone, but took the question as the olive branch she hoped it was intended as.

“A while,” she retorted vaguely, as she wasn’t sure how much the other woman actually cared for her answer.

“Saved many people?” the politician continued, swiping her thumb across the phone screen with a flash of annoyance that Liv hoped was directed at whatever she had just flicked away, rather than her.

“I wouldn’t have been selected for this assignment if I wasn’t good at my job,” she gave back seriously, hoping this was a chance to put her at ease. “You’ll likely be our next Prime Minister.”

“And still I feel utterly powerless…” Dr. Sinclair mumbled, and pushed her phone back into her briefcase as they were pulling up in front of her home.

“Allow me.” Liv took the initiative and opened the door for her, scanning up and down the road out of habit, even though there was an officer already stationed in front of the townhouse in question. It was a nice area and a big house, and the protection officer wondered how much the MP was worth, disregarding her set Parliamentary salary. Like most politicians, she’d likely been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she had gotten her degree at Cambridge after all - another nugget of information she recalled from her briefing notes. She did her best not to hold it against her as she walked her to the front door.

“Goodnight, Sergeant,” Dr. Sinclair tried for a conciliatory tone and Liv forced herself to a small smile.

“Goodnight, Ma’am.”

---

Liv slammed the door of her flat shut and kicked her shoes off. Her feet ached. She much preferred trainers or boots, but a Parliamentary posting required a certain dress code and she could only hope she’d walk the dress shoes in eventually. As she walked further into the studio flat, she caught a glimpse of the time on the oven. Even though she had taken a taxi, it had taken even longer than anticipated to get home.

Releasing a huff of annoyance, she shrugged her blazer off and went to hang it up, as she didn’t fancy having to get the iron out again in the morning. Some routines were well practised, like storing her service weapon away in a gun safe, likely the most valuable piece of furniture in the place. When she had been with the RAF, she had moved around a lot and once she’d needed a place to stay, well… she hadn’t been picky. Her sister always made a big song and dance about her surely being able to afford better, but the protection officer didn’t see the point when her work was so demanding and she merely needed a place to sleep.

“Right, travel Thursday…” she muttered to herself as she went searching for her suitcase in the bottom of the wardrobe, multitasking with laying out her clothes for the next day. Preparation was everything, and she hoped she could indeed be better prepared for tomorrow. Unnervingly, she found she hadn’t quite got the measure of Dr. Sinclair yet. She could only hope she would do so soon, a lot of her ability to do her job would depend on it.

#doctor who #fanfiction #liv chenka #helen sinclair #liv x helen #big finish #action #angst #thriller #slow burn #femslash #alternate universe #alternate universe politics #bodyguard #female bodyguard #spooks

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riversofmars · 11 months

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The second day of Liv's assignment is shaping up to be no less difficult than the first as she accompanies Helen on the campaign trail. (Chapter rating: General)

Chapter 2

Liv thanked her lucky stars that the Starbucks in St. Pancras was 24h. She wasn’t sure where else she would have gotten a coffee from before 5am. She downed the dregs of it as she walked the final stretch up to Dr. Sinclair’s home.

“Morning, Ma’am,” the night duty officer greeted her as she walked up to the front gate, beyond which the terrace townhouse rose tall and imposing.

“Anything unusual?” Liv asked, looking up at the building. It was three stories and there was light on on the first floor behind a set of heavy curtains. The bedroom, she ventured.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, quiet night,” he reported pleasantly.

“Good…” She nodded, checking the time on her wristwatch. It was 5.28am. “Is she up?” She knew he couldn’t really answer that, but hoped for some indication one way or another.

“Light’s been on a while,” he answered, and that would have to be enough. They had agreed this time, the protection officer didn’t want to be accused of tardiness. As much as she knew she didn’t have anything to prove, the previous day she had taken their exchange about the time as a challenge from the politician. They were still negotiating boundaries, and this was not something with which she would be able to catch her out.

“I’ll try my luck,” she decided, and the uniformed officer tipped his hat at her, returning to his impassive position of guarding the entrance of the property as she walked past and up to the door. Checking the time again, she rang the doorbell at 5.30am sharp.

There was no reaction, not for a long time. Liv chewed the inside of her cheek, mulling over her options. Since the light was on, the MP was clearly awake. Perhaps she hadn’t heard the bell because she was upstairs - an unlikely scenario since she imagined the doorbell would be audible anywhere in the house; perhaps she simply wasn’t ready yet? Or maybe she was ignoring her, making her wait on purpose? She scolded herself for assuming the worst. She hardly knew the woman she was charged with protecting, but their first day together hadn’t exactly been plain sailing. Her finger hovered over the doorbell, but before she could make up her mind and press it again, the door was pulled open.

“You do realise the time, don’t you?” Dr. Sinclair snapped, and Liv’s heart sank. This didn’t bode well for day two, and yet, she tried for a smile of greeting.

“Good morning, Ma’am,” she gave back politely, but the politician didn’t stick around to listen. She turned on her heel and walked back into the dark corridor, leaving the door open in an obvious invitation to follow. “We agreed 5.30am?” the protection officer called after her, and stepped inside. Fighting a wave of annoyance, she closed the door behind herself and flicked the light on so she could see where she was going.

“Yes but I didn’t expect you to-” The MP’s voice sounded from inside the house and Liv followed, scanning her surroundings as she did so. There wasn’t much to the hallway, it was plain and practical with a long row of coats hung up by the door, and a cupboard of shoes further along - much like any normal home, she remarked as she walked down the hall. It opened into a wide, open-plan living space with a dining and seating area to the right and a kitchen to the left. She found Dr. Sinclair at the kitchen island, holding on to steady herself as she struggled into a pair of high heels. Her tailored dress was only done up to her shoulder-blades and several strands of her hair hung loose around her neck. Sometimes the easiest answer was the right one: she was not ready.

“Would you rather I waited outside?” the protection officer asked respectfully, fixing her eyes to the floor as she didn’t want her to feel self-conscious.

“Oh well, you’re here now,” she huffed, and with much difficulty zipped up her dress. It was clearly an awkward angle but Liv didn’t think it a good idea to offer assistance. That was certainly not in her remit.

“Shall I call the car for 6.15am?” she offered, trying to be accommodating. It would give her extra time without having to ask for it.

“Sure…” the MP answered, and her movements around the kitchen slowed noticeably. Instead of continuing to fumble with her hair, she made for the coffee machine. “That’ll give me a chance to get a couple of hours of work in before we set off to Warwick,” she mused as she pushed a coffee pod into the machine. Liv figured she was the sort of person that liked every moment of their day planned out, making to do lists as she went and utilising every minute.

“And then Milton Keynes - Leicester - Coventry?” The protection officer couldn’t imagine the schedule had changed between last night and this morning but she had to be sure. She watched her actions carefully, but didn’t venture any further into the kitchen aware of the fact she still had her shoes on. It was hardly the time to take them off and get comfortable, so she clasped her hands behind her back and waited.

“Yes,” the politician answered, and brushed a strand of hair from her face as she waited for the coffee to pour. “God, I hope they haven’t messed up that speech…” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. She looked tense.

“What? You don’t write your own speeches?” The quip had crossed Liv’s lips before she could think better of it. She’d been trying to think of something to say to put her at ease - protecting someone who was tense and jumpy was much harder than someone who was relaxed - but the moment Dr. Sinclair’s head whipped around, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. “Sorry, that was meant to be a joke. Didn’t land.” She cast her eyes down apologetically under her angry glare.

“I would like to write my own speeches, and I do when I have the time but I can’t write every single one of them - do you have any concept of how many of them I’ll have to give in the next month?” she snapped, and all the brunette could do to rectify the situation was apologise again.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

To her great surprise, the MP softened considerably.

“No, I’m sorry… it’s early and I haven’t slept much…” she muttered, running her hands through her hair. Upon closer observation, she looked rather tired.

“We could have started later,” Liv offered. “We still can. I can call the car for seven-” The other woman interrupted her with a sigh.

“No… it’s fine, I’m up now… just need to do my hair…” she mumbled, then looked over to her. “Only have myself to blame… I was being facetious when I said that last night…” she admitted and pulled her mug out of the coffee maker. “I’m sorry,” she apologised to the protection officer’s even greater surprise. “Can we start again?”

“It’s fine,” she nodded quickly. “And yes, I’d like that.” It really hadn’t been the best start, and she was glad the politician had realised as much as well. Hopefully their working relationship could improve from there. It would make things easier in the long run.

“Help yourself to coffee,” Dr. Sinclair gestured at the machine as she crossed the kitchen. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Thank you,” Liv gave back, watching her climb the stairs. Even after she had disappeared, she needed a moment to shake herself out of her stunned state. That had been a much better start to the morning than she had anticipated. While she wasn’t as bold as to follow her invitation, she did pull her phone from her pocket to request their car.

---

The drive to the Palace of Westminster passed in silence. Liv noted that the politician had made the effort of letting her open the house and car doors for her without interfering and took it as a good sign. Dr. Sinclair bit back a yawn as she scrolled through her phone, and the protection officer watched the sun come up over the river as they drove up through South Bank to the seat of government. It was surprisingly peaceful.

Things continued in a similar manner as they arrived at the MPs office - they were the first ones there. Whilst there had been a few people walking the halls of Westminster, the early morning was clearly not everyone’s preferred time for starting work.

“I like it like this,” Dr. Sinclair stated, and Liv got the impression that she had noticed the curiosity with which she had looked around. She would have to work on her poker face, the politician was more observant than she’d anticipated.

“Rather more peaceful than yesterday,” she commented as she took the lead past the desks the staffers usually occupied.

“Won’t be like this for long, a lot of early risers in our line of work, particularly now,” the blonde continued, and didn’t interfere with the protection officer flicking on the light and conducting a quick sweep of her office. Dropping her briefcase on the desk, she observed her doing so and added: “Now, you really don’t have to stand looking over my shoulder now. There is no-one here.”

“Do you not think this paperwork can wait when you have a full day of campaigning ahead of you?” Liv asked and scolded herself for the insolent way in which she had posed the question, but it was something she was wondering about. There hardly seemed to be much point when they would have to be on the road to Warwick by 8am at the latest.

“I didn’t get done with these yesterday.” Fortunately, the politician didn’t seem to take offence as she discarded her blazer and hung it on the back of the chair. “I don’t like leaving constituents' letters if I can help it.” She gestured at a considerable pile of yet unopened mail. Liv wondered just how many of those were genuine concerns being raised, and how many simply contained complaints and abuse. She put nothing past the British population.

“I see,” she nodded, as she couldn’t fault her ambition.

“We shouldn’t leave here any later than 7.45am though,” Dr. Sinclair hummed, checking the time on her wrist watch. “And head to party headquarters so we can set off to Warwick in good time.”

A frown drew to the protection officer’s brow as she slowly took up her familiar position by the window.

“Excuse me for saying so, Ma’am, but that sounds rather pointless,” she pointed out. “Why not set off from here so you can maximise your time?” She deemed it a fair question and the MP actually chuckled as she sliced open her first letter.

“Can’t very well have the ‘battle bus’ park up outside Westminster, hardly a good look,” she commented, grimacing at the term describing the monstrosity that had become a fixture in British elections of late.

“Oh no, you’re not going in one of those,” Liv huffed, shaking her head, and the blonde promptly whipped around.

“Excuse me?” she challenged, the good-natured chuckle a thing of the past. The blonde squared her jaw, and Liv sensed that she had spoken too soon where their improved rapport was concerned, and did her best to sound reasonable and firm as she explained.

“That’s like putting a bull’s eye on your back,” she stated. “Assuming that there is someone out there who is planning to make an attempt on your life, you couldn’t be more forthcoming in announcing your whereabouts. I can’t allow that.” She held her piercing gaze steadily.

“This whole thing might appear like a circus to you, but it is the best way of engaging with the journalists and getting favourable coverage so-” Dr. Sinclair began to argue but the protection officer brought a swift end to it.

“My priority is keeping you safe,” she announced firmly. “I’m afraid I have to put my foot down about this… Ma’am.” She added the honorific as an afterthought, but hoped it would go some way towards appeasing her.

“Is that so,” the MP ground out, a flush of anger drawing to her pale cheeks, and Liv did her best to remain calm and reasonable.

“Please don’t make my job harder than it already is.”

“Is it hard?” the politician shot back pointedly, and the protection officer knew there was no right answer to this so she remained silent, fixing her eyes forward. She didn’t want to undo the tender progress they had made first thing in the morning but yes: this job was shaping up to be extremely difficult. “How would you rather we travel?” Dr. Sinclair questioned once it became clear she wasn’t getting an answer.

“Blacked out, armoured cars, as you get around the city,” the brunette answered dutifully but without looking at her. Standing to attention while being shouted at by a superior had been drilled into her in the RAF. The MP's anger was much more subtle than that but no less effective. “Preferably several identical ones to throw off an attacker.” There was a moment of silence that turned on a knife's edge: a tense stand-off.

“Guess I’ll let my PA know plans have changed,” the MP huffed at last and pulled her phone from her briefcase.

“Thank you, Ma’am..” Liv minded her manners and she made up for her shoulders relaxing in relief by standing up a little straighter. She tried her best to fight the sinking feeling that despite her best efforts, the day would turn out to be just like the previous one.

---

They got in the car by 8.00am. The staff had been less than enthusiastic, but Dr. Sinclair had brokered no argument on the matter which Liv was grateful for. It was something. The PA joined them in the car, sitting unobtrusively next to her employer, pouring over some paperwork or other. Several staffers followed in another car, and as they would be on the road for roughly two hours, it gave the MP time to work on the speech that she was set to give. This would likely equate to a long, boring journey for the protection officer, so she settled in for the drive, sitting across from the MP again. She undid her jacket and was greeted by a pointed: “Do you have to wear that?”

Surprised, she looked up to find Dr. Sinclair shooting an apprehensive glance at her gun, much as she had the night before.

“I do, yes,” Liv answered slowly. “For your and everyone else’s safety.” The PA glanced over, but quickly buried herself in her papers when the protection officer shot her a chastising glare to keep out of it.

“Right,” the politician huffed but seemed far from satisfied with the answer.

“I am a licensed firearms officer,” the brunette continued calmly, suddenly feeling a need to justify herself. “I did all the training, all the background checks… some of which you insist upon, if I remember correctly…” Pointing out as much was unnecessary, Dr. Sinclair was surely more than aware of the policies she herself had introduced and passed, but she couldn’t help it.

“Yes, well, they’re necessary!” the MP shot back. She’d gotten her back up all right, and for no good reason either. Liv happened to be on the side of tighter gun control. “You can’t just have everyone who decides to-”

“I’m not arguing with you, makes perfect sense,” she answered appeasingly, taking the wind out of her sails. Dr. Sinclair blinked, it was clearly not the response she had expected.

“Fine then,” she muttered and returned to her work. Liv refrained from a small smirk of triumph, though she felt like it. It wouldn’t be conducive to the situation, but she felt like she had scored a point.

Silence settled in the car, occasionally interrupted by the increasingly aggressive scraping of biro on paper and annoyed muttering as the MP made changes to the speech. The protection officer remarked on how tense she looked. It seemed as though she really would rather have written that speech herself…

---

By the time it got to delivering said speech, Liv wasn’t sure how much of the original work remained, but it certainly seemed to hit the spot. The protection officer stood to the side of the stage in the large auditorium, just out of sight of the students, and watched Dr. Sinclair give an empowering, and surprisingly touching speech.

The brunette forced her eyes away from the MP to observe the crowd, scan the room for any sort of unusual behaviour or suspicious activities, but found nothing like it. Instead, she looked into the inspired faces of the young. Helen Sinclair certainly had a way with words and the delivery of them. Liv tried her best to push the unbidden thoughts from her mind and focus on her job instead.

The speech concluded to a standing ovation, and the staffers congratulated each other on a brilliant start to proceedings. The protection officer, however, felt her heart drop as the politician didn’t return to their ranks as agreed. Instead she made her way to the front of the stage and descended the steps to ground-level where the audience was keen to greet her and shake hands.

“Fuck’s sake-” Liv muttered under her breath and quickly crossed the stage herself, following quickly. The bright spot-lights beat down on her, adding to the discomfort and worry that shot through her body. It was only the second day of her assignment, if something happened now-

“Ma’am, what are you doing?” the brunette hissed as she pushed close to Dr. Sinclair, keeping her voice low enough that hopefully, none of the adoring audience members would hear.

“Shaking hands, engaging with the voters, what does it look like?” the MP muttered in return, keeping a gracious smile fixed to her face as she did so.

“This is not what we agreed,” the protection officer insisted, keeping her expression as neutral as she could manage. She knew how important it was that they were not seen to be having an argument.

“This is what’s happening!” Dr. Sinclair gave back just as quietly, her demeanour never faulting in between words of thanks.

“Ma’am-” Liv brought her hand to her back, resting against her shoulder blades as she scanned the crowd, hyper-aware of every movement, every word.

“Your job is to protect me, then do that,” the MP pressed through a smile. “I will not allow my every move to be dictated by you!” And that was clearly the last word on the matter as she commented on the apprehensive looks some of the students were shooting at the protection officer. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t bite.” She grasped another hand. “Thank you so much for coming. Thank you.”

Liv did her best to remain calm, putting her faith in her instincts and training, and sent a silent prayer to unnamed forces that this wouldn’t end badly for either one of them as she shielded her body to the best of her abilities.

—

“That was a roaring success,” the chief speech writer exclaimed as they headed back to the car in the staff car park of the university.

“That was irresponsible,” Liv interjected, following close behind Dr. Sinclair as she had been for the past half hour. Hopefully now she could voice her misgivings over how things had gone. It needed addressing. The politician, however, was paying her no mind, as her PA carried on enthusiastically while tapping on her tablet.

“You poll really well with the younger population, if they turn out on election day, they could really carry the vote for you.”

“We should make more of an effort with voter turnout, the young, women, minorities, that’s where we poll strongest,” another staffer added. They were all flying high on the success of the event while Liv was on edge and tense, loathing the feeling of being ignored. She knew she was not part of the MPs team as such, but she hadn’t expected to be completely shut out.

“Yes, let’s do that,” Dr. Sinclair smiled, looking a lot less tense than she had done on the way to the event.

“Pride event maybe?” the speech writer suggested as they reached the car, and Liv decided that that was where she would put an end to things.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but can you at least acknowledge I said something?” she interrupted, a flash of anger colouring her words. “You put yourself in grave danger!”

The group fell silent, staffers exchanging awkward glances and the candidate herself focused on her bodyguard.

“By shaking hands with university students? Please,” she huffed, shaking her head as though she thought the whole thing ridiculous. It only made Liv more angry.

“I’m being serious!” she snapped, and the politician fixed her with a stony gaze.

“I’m sorry, Sergeant, but not everything can be planned out and controlled to the last detail,” she told her coldly, and it seemed her staff realised that that was the moment to quickly make for the cars. Even the PA feigned ignorance as she pulled her phone out and turned to pretend to deal with something very important.

“You certainly can’t,” Liv bit back, giving into her annoyance. It used to get her in trouble in the military. She had a temper. Most days she was more than able to control it, she had learned to ever since she’d had to deal with politicians regularly that were infuriating as a rule, but the woman in front of her took the biscuit.

“That’s right,” Dr. Sinclair responded venomously. “You’d do well to remember that!”

“You’re still angry about the bus…” the protection officer realised with a disbelieving huff and the MP caught her PA looking up curiously.

“Can you give us a minute?!” she snapped.

“We really must be on our way to Milton Keynes,” the young woman stuttered, checking the time. “Otherwise-”

“Then go in another car!” the politician growled, and she jumped to action, joining the colleagues in the less crowded of the other two cars.

Liv ground her teeth together angrily but opened the door for the blonde regardless, sending one last appraising glance across their surroundings, making sure that they weren’t being watched. Once satisfied she got into the car as well.

“As I have said before, Ma’am, I’m not here to make your life difficult-” She restarted the conversation as she did up her seat belt, and Dr. Sinclair nearly jumped down her throat.

“Well, that’s what you’re doing!” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and scowled at her.

“I’m sorry, but you must realise that everything I do is for your benefit,” the protection officer insisted hotly. “Do you not realise the danger you’re in?”

“Quite frankly, I think it’s ridiculous,” the politician ground out, and that was crossing the line. How could she be so callous where her own life was concerned? Not to mention the hypocrisy of it all.

“Do you have any idea of the effort and resources that are being attributed to this? What all of this costs?” Liv spat. “That’s taxpayer money that pays for me to shadow your every move, that pays for the intelligence officers that are working tirelessly to find out who means you harm. As someone who pretends to be big on not wasting the British public’s money, you could at least do them the courtesy of taking this seriously!”

Stunned silence fell, even the driver appeared to be holding his breath. The protection officer could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears, she hadn’t meant to get as worked up as that, but she could only hope she had made her point clear. She was trained to interpret body language, note even the slightest changes, so it didn’t take much to spot the look of genuine hurt that crossed the other woman’s face. Her shoulders slumped noticeably as she hugged her arms around herself a little tighter.

“Well, that’s me told, isn’t it…” she mumbled, and cast her eyes out of the window where houses shot past as they made for the motorway.

Liv lowered her head and eyes as well as she grasped the edge of her seat. That could have gone better. Her attack had been personal, based on the other woman’s politics and opinions, and therefore utterly unprofessional. That was taking things too far.

“I’m sorry, that was out of line…” she apologised, hoping she hadn’t just ruined everything. There was every chance she would have a call from Protection Command by the end of the day taking her off the assignment awaiting disciplinary action if the politician made enough of a fuss.

“I am taking this seriously…” Dr. Sinclair said at last, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Her sober observation was a hell of a lot better than stopping the car and throwing her out, but Liv didn’t quite dare to hope just yet.

“Are you?” she asked cautiously and looked up to her. The MP wasn’t looking at her, she kept her eyes firmly fixed to the window, but her tense posture and the way worry lines split her otherwise picture-perfect face gave Liv pause. She had clearly gotten to her.

“Of course I am,” she mumbled, clearing her throat as her voice came out thick and emotional. “I just… I try not to think about it, that’s what they tell you early on. Don’t worry about every death threat you get, it’s part of the job, it-” She took a deep breath, and struggled visibly to keep a hold of herself. The brunette started feeling regret over her words, not just on a professional level but on a personal one too. The other woman had done nothing to her and she hadn’t stopped to consider her position in all this.

“This is different,” Liv continued slowly, as she didn’t want to lose the ground she had gained but also had no desire to hurt her further.

“I know that…” Dr. Sinclair admitted softly. “I’m just trying not to let it get to me.” And for the first time the protection officer saw something akin to fear in her eyes as she looked back to her. She did understand the seriousness of the situation, even if she didn’t want to admit it. It was reassuring but also made Liv feel for her in a way she hadn’t before. She rarely stopped to consider how requiring her protection affected those she was assigned to.

“And that’s understandable but please… If you want to talk to people, fine, we can do that but… don’t spring it on me like that, okay?” she requested, hoping to strike some sort of a compromise. She was beginning to get a sense of what it meant to the other woman to be able to carry on as she had been. “Give me heads up, let me prepare… Back there, the only thing between you and a bullet was me…” She gave her a half-smile. She really didn’t fancy putting herself in the way of a bullet but that would also have been part of the job…

“I’m sorry,” Dr. Sinclair said, with a small smile of her own as she seemed to be regaining her composure.

“We did say this morning we’d try again…” Liv pointed out, and the blonde chuckled.

“Yes…” she acknowledged with a sigh. “Didn’t that go well…”

“Another do-over?” the protection officer suggested. They seemed to be taking one step forward and two back at every turn, but she wasn’t someone who gave up easily. Stubbornness was one of her better traits.

“I’m sure you could have easier jobs than this…” Dr. Sinclair observed.

“Yeah but…” Liv tried for another smile. “I’m also the best you could have, so…”

“Is that so?” the blonde scoffed and the atmosphere lightened in a flash.

“Oh yeah,” the protection officer grinned.

“Maybe we can agree that we will likely bump heads again, but we will both try?” the MP decided after a moment of contemplative silence.

“I can work with that,” Liv agreed easily and relaxed as she leaned back. Surely this had to count as progress.

“Now… have you eaten, Sergeant?” Dr. Sinclair asked, reaching down to a cool bag that stood on the ground between their feet.

“No, Ma’am,” the brunette answered and watched as she pulled two sets of sandwiches from the bag. M&S meal-deal - no expenses had been spared.

“Well, you ought to,” the MP said matter-of-factly. “Egg and cress?”

Liv chuckled and nodded, she had no real preference where sandwiches were concerned, but she remarked on how rarely she had been offered provisions in her line of work. People often forgot she was there.

“What’s funny?” the politician frowned, and the protection officer decided it was probably better to deflect than lament how isolating her work could be.

“Just remembered something one of my instructors used to say,” she said as she pulled the packet open.

“And what was that?” the other woman asked, surprising her with what seemed like genuine interest.

“Well… he compared personal protection to looking after an infant. You sleep when they sleep, you eat when they eat-” It was certainly an apt comparison.

“Do you have children, Sergeant?” the MP questioned, launching into an attempt at small-talk. Much like the act of being offered food, this was also something Liv didn’t often experience. While the sentiment behind it was to be commended, it also made her a little uncomfortable.

“No, Ma’am,” she gave back plainly.

“Never wanted them or-” she stalled for a moment, as if she’d only just realised what she’d said. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that if-”

“Oh not at all, it’s just… I’m unattached.” She forced herself into a mild smile, as if the matter was of no importance. It was no time to fall into melancholy musings about how empty and lonely her life felt, particularly when she was on a busy job like this and had no hope of a social life anyway - not to mention the opportunity of meeting someone. Dr. Sinclair seemed eager to apologise again for putting her in an awkward spot, but she didn’t have opportunity to as Liv found herself continuing: “Who knows, if my partner wanted them … but I don’t see myself doing the carrying. The job isn’t exactly well suited.” In hindsight, she wasn’t exactly sure why she had brought her sexuality into it. It was of no consequence and surely none of the other woman’s business and yet… Liv found she wouldn’t mind her knowing, better to have these things out in the open. If she was surprised she didn’t let on - if anything her reaction was enthusiastic.

“Well, that’s certainly an advantage of having those options open to you.”

---

The rest of the day’s campaign stops turned out to be rather uneventful. Dr. Sinclair appeared to have taken her request seriously. They pre-agreed how to go about every event and Liv kept close to her side for it all, even endured more hand-shaking as a courtesy. The PA was allowed back in the car in Milton Keynes, and they continued in a professional, focused manner.

By the end of the day, Liv was thoroughly exhausted, but felt better than she had the previous day. Dr. Sinclair appeared tired as well. Her make-up was slightly smudged from where she had rubbed her eyes, and she tried to suppress a yawn as they pulled into the road she lived on.

“Have you got far to go?” the politician asked, resting her head against the window.

“A little way-” Liv answered, doing her best to muster her last bit of energy for getting her into the house safe and sound.

“How are you getting there?” the blonde continued, her brow knitting into a frown, and the protection officer noted yet again that she was rather observant. She appeared to have realised her state of exhaustion.

“Probably just going to take a taxi…” she admitted with a tired half-smile as the car came to a halt. There was no way she would put herself through the exercise of the tube and bus now.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dr. Sinclair scoffed and before Liv could object, she got to her feet and leaned over the seat to the driver. “Kindly wait for Sergeant Chenka and take her home,” she requested and received a curt nod of acknowledgement.

“Yes Ma’am.”

“That’s really not necessary,” the protection officer started to argue, but to no avail.

“I disagree.” The MP shot an expectant glance towards the door, and Liv got up to open it for her, going through the practiced routine of looking up and down the road before allowing her to get out.

“I can make my own way home,” she insisted after a brief greeting towards the night duty officer.

“I know you can but I’d rather you didn’t have to. I put you through enough as it is,” Dr. Sinclair countered, and they walked up the stairs to her front door.

“Thank you, Ma’am.” Liv hoped the twilight would serve to cover the blush that came to her cheeks. As much as she knew it was a gesture of apology at best, and at worst an attempt to ingratiate herself with her, she couldn’t deny that she appreciated it. She couldn’t remember the last time someone bar her sister had shown a care for her getting home safely. She waited patiently as the politician unlocked the door to assure herself of the same for her. “Goodnight, Ma’am.”

“Good night, Sergeant,” the MP replied but hung on for a moment. “6.30am should be fine tomorrow.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

#doctor who #fanfiction #liv chenka #helen sinclair #femslash #big finish #liv x helen #alternate universe #alternate universe politics #thriller #action/adventure #slow burn #female bodyguard

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