Really nice. This truly wasn't the average Rufus/Turk pairing, and it had actual story points. I love character exposes like this one, especially when it's well written. You've painted this really clear picture about a time when it's just the two of them, and they can set aside their public personas and be who they really are for just awhile. The moment when Rufus and Elena can be human, be friends, and not be President and Turk was just so darn satisfying. I actually steer far away from het pairings because most of those stories have this overdone feeling of romance-novel melodrama to them, but your story conveys a sense of inner strength and true friendship that most het stories usually lack, and that's what makes this so good. Bravo! --sanctum_fw@yahoo.com