A/N: Hi, welcome to the sequel of State of Play. It means so much to me that you guys wanted me to do another story. To be honest, I have no idea where I want this story to go, but we will figure it out together. For now, enjoy the latest chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to House of Cards, otherwise it would be a completely different show. All characters, besides Hannah, belong to someone else and I'm just borrowing them for fun. Any and all similarities to other stories is purely coincidental.
Chapter One.
"They aren't going to listen to you unless you make them, Francis." Claire says to Frank. Frank leans back in his desk chair and sighs. He's only been the president for less than a week, but the job is already taking a toll on him.
"The Republicans don't care what I bring to the table, they will just shoot it down like they did to Walker." Claire tilts her head ever-so-slightly. She doesn't like the doubt creeping into her husband's voice.
"Are you saying you can't do it?" Claire asks, just to get him riled up. Frank shoots his head up and glares at her. She smirks at him, daring him to challenge her. His smirk quickly matches hers. Claire walks towards his desk, stopping when she hears the door swing open. Their daughter, Hannah, saunters in and takes a seat across from her father.
"Hi, Han. How was school?" Frank asks. Claire sits down next to Hannah, ignoring her husband's request to sit on the edge of his desk.
"Boring. How's life in the Oval?" Hannah asks and leans back in her chair. Frank's lips curl into a smile, he knows his daughter didn't come here to ask about his day at the office. She wants something, and he is afraid of what it is.
"Hannah, what can we do for you?" Frank asks. He watches his daughter's cheek stain crimson. She glances at Claire and then back at him.
"Well…I was hoping to ease into that, Daddy. Since you asked, do you remember that boy I danced with at your party?"
"Yes…" Frank says hesitantly. He has a terrible feeling of where this conversation is headed.
"Right. Anyway, he's leaving town in a few days and wants to know if I wanted to go out on a date with him." Hannah's voice drops to almost a whisper by the end of her sentence.
Claire gets up from her chair and rounds the corner, standing next to Frank. Frank's eyes widen, and he immediately starts shaking his head.
"No. You are too young, and we don't even know anything about this person." Hannah rolls her eyes at her father. He is way too protective of her and her mother sometimes.
"I'm almost fourteen and you met him at the party. He's the Canadian prime minister's son, not some idiot I go to school with." Claire maneuvers around her husband, opening his desk drawer and pulling out a blue file.
"Preston Brady, age 16, lives in Montreal with his parents…" Claire begins reading off from a piece of paper.
"You had him vetted?" Hannah asks in disbelief. She expected that from her father, but not her mother. Frank looks up at Claire, impressed she actually had Hannah's date looked into.
"Of course. I had a feeling he liked you." Claire says nonchalantly and hands the file to Frank. Frank slips on his glasses and starts glancing through the file, shaking his head in disapproval every so often. Hannah waits for her father to make a decision, although she is sure of what that will be.
"Your mother and I will have to discuss it later," Frank finally mumbles after a few moments. Hannah sighs, everyone in this room knows what that means. She's lucky he didn't shoot her down right away. Not that it would've stopped her, if her parents taught her one thing, it's to scheme.
"Fine. Lauren's coming over to do homework. Let me know when you make a decision, he goes back home soon." Hannah leaves her parents in her dad's office to contemplate her offer. Claire scoops up the file Frank tossed on his desk.
"What are you thinking, Francis?" Claire asks and sits down on the corner of his desk. Frank rubs his face in his hands. His daughter starting to date is the last thing he needs to be stressing out about.
"I don't think she should. She's too young, regardless of who it is."
"I disagree. You know she's going to just find a way to see him. She's too much like us."
"That's not an excuse to let her just do what she wants, Claire."
"We have to trust her to make the right choices and be independent or she is going to resent us." Frank realizes his wife's biggest fear is having a strained relationship with Hannah, like she did with her mother, but that's not an excuse to let their daughter do as she pleases.
"How independent do you want her to be? I don't want our daughter to put herself in a position where she has to…" Frank trails off, knowing what he almost said would hurt his wife's feelings.
"Finish your thought, Francis." They know what he was going to say. I don't want our daughter to put herself in a position where she has to have two abortions before college, like you.
"Look Claire, I think Hannah is too young. There will be plenty of time for her to date, but now is not it."
"Fine. Then I will let you explain to Hannah why she can't go on a date with someone surrounded by Secret Service agents. I have a meeting to get to." Claire hops off his desk and quietly shuts the door behind her. Frank swears softly to himself. He thought his wife would be on the same page as him and it wouldn't lead to an argument.
Instead of going to her meeting, Claire walks into the residence, surprised to see Hannah and Lauren sprawled out on the floor of the living room.
"Hey Mrs. Underwood," Lauren says politely. Hannah lifts her head up from her homework to acknowledge her mother, who looks irritated. She is guessing her parents fought about whether she can go on a date or not.
"Hi Lauren," Claire responds with a forced smile. "Hannah, tell your father that I went for a run if he comes back."
"Okay…" Her mother going for a run without her father is the tell-tale sign of a fight between them. And the fact her mother said if instead of when is a huge giveaway.
"What's up with your mom? She looked pissed." Lauren comments when she is sure Claire is out of earshot. Hannah rolls her eyes.
"I asked my parents if I could go on a date with Preston and they must've not agreed on it. Whatever. They'll get over it." The teenager knows better than to intervene on her parents' marriage. Her parents love each other enough to sort through it out on their own. Hannah laughs at her best friend's concerned look. She seems more worried than Hannah does.
"Don't you think you should go talk to your dad and make him apologize or something?" Lauren asks. Hannah shakes her head, if Lauren only knew how her parents' relationship worked.
"They have this thing where they don't apologize to each other. It's really odd. Trust me, by the time they go to bed tonight, everything will be fine between them." Lauren doesn't look convinced but doesn't push the issue.
An hour later, Frank comes into the residence where the two teenagers are still preoccupied with their homework.
"Hey Daddy," Hannah says without looking up. If her theory is correct, he only cares about where her mother is. Their conversation will be brief.
"Hey Mr. Underwo…Sorry, President Underwood." Lauren says. Hannah laughs to herself while her father glances around, presumably looking for Claire.
"Where's your mother?" Frank asks. Hannah's eyes shift over at Lauren. I told you so, Hannah silently communicates to her best friend.
"She went for a run. I don't know when she's going to be back. What'd you do to piss her off?" Hannah asks. She shudders at the glare she receives from her father. She should know better than to bring up a fight her parents have in front of anyone else but the family.
"Let her know that I would like to talk to her when she gets back," Frank says and quickly exits the residence. I'm sure she will love to talk to you, Hannah thinks to herself.
"Oh my God, your dad looked so mad at you. I almost shit myself at the glare he gave you," Lauren whispers to Hannah. Hannah giggles into her hand. Usually, she is scared of her dad, but after he wouldn't let her go out with Preston, she's feeling vindictive.
"He's just mad because my mom's mad at him."
Lauren leaves after the pair finish their homework and Hannah is left to feed herself for dinner. Claire is still out running, and Frank is presumably sulking in his office. Hannah calls the chef to have something brought up for her as her mother comes in the residence.
"Hey, I just called down to have a salad made for me, do you want anything?" Hannah asks Claire.
"No. I'm going to take a shower. Where's your father?" Claire asks. Hannah rolls her eyes, she's tired of playing the intermediary between her parents.
"He's looking for you. I think he wants to talk to you. What exactly happened between the two of you after I left Daddy's office?"
Claire takes a napkin to wipe the sweat off her face and throws it away.
"Nothing." Her parents still pretend like Hannah is four and doesn't notice when they argue. The problem is, is they go to such great lengths to pretend like everything is fine that they essentially give themselves away.
"Okay." Hannah shakes her head and goes into her room. If her parents don't want to clue her in on what's going on between them, then there's nothing the teenager can do. By the time breakfast rolls around, the two of them will be smirking and plotting over a cup of coffee like they always do.
Claire unpeels her sweaty clothing clinging to her skin and steps into the shower, letting the steamy water envelop her. What Frank said, almost said, to her earlier today was beneath them. He should understand more than anyone to leave the past where it belongs.
In his office, Frank smokes a cigarette, something he usually does with his wife. He sighs and finds no joy in smoking alone. He tosses the half-smoked cigarette into a cup of water and goes in search of Claire. She is in the master bedroom, wrapped in a towel. Claire doesn't acknowledge his presence in their room. If he didn't make an appearance by the time she got in bed, she was going to sleep in a different room.
"Hey," Frank begins, shoving his hands in his pockets. Claire glances at him over her shoulder before dropping the towel, walking naked into the closet.
"Have you made a decision?"
"I thought we should talk first…about earlier."
"I've voiced my opinion." She isn't making this easy for him, not that she should. Frank watches her change into her pajamas, a grin pulling at his lips when he sees the scar on her shoulder. It's his new favorite part of her body.
"Claire, you are right. I'm being overprotective. After everything that's happened in the past few months, I don't want anything else to happen to her." Hannah was in an accident and kidnapped as well as watching her mother get shot and her father killing someone in front of her. He couldn't protect her from that. Nonetheless, he will do everything he can to do so in the future. Both of them are experiencing lingering guilt from Pierce's rampage and it's beginning to affect their marriage.
"I would've been seven months pregnant today," Claire whispers. She isn't the type to look back on what could've happened, but the thought has been on her mind all day. Frank nods solemnly, there's no need to offer any sort of apology for something they had no control over. His wife would only scoff at the notion. "We are better than what we were to each other earlier."
Frank strides towards her, pinching her cheek with the pad of his thumb. She's right, of course. They don't need to be getting into petty arguments. His job is hard enough without the added strain of fighting with his wife.
"We are a team. I shouldn't've doubted that. What I said to you…" She cuts him off, an apology is not necessary.
"I know you didn't mean it, but I haven't changed how I feel."
"I'm willing to compromise." Her lips turn up into a smirk. She knew he would eventually see the situation her way.
"How so?"
"Hannah can go on a date here, at the White House, where we can keep an eye on them."
"I like that idea, Francis. As long as you don't move the Oval into wherever they decide to have their date." He doesn't say anything back to shoot down the notion. He would be remiss to not check in on their daughter while she is on her date to make sure everything is going as it should.
"Well, maybe a quick check. And I want Meechum to be there." Claire nods in agreement, they trust the agent to keep watch over their daughter.
"Are you coming to bed?" Claire asks, skimming her hand over his white dress shirt.
"I have more work to do. I'll be back in a while." He presses a quick kiss to her lips and leaves her in the master bedroom.
The next morning, just as Hannah thought, her parents are eating breakfast together at the dining table.
"So predictable," Hannah mumbles to herself and pours herself a glass of milk before joining her parents. Frank and Claire are both preoccupied with skimming the newspaper to notice their daughter sit down. "Mom, Daddy, have you discussed…you know…?"
Claire looks to her husband to answer their daughter's question. It was him that had such a problem with Hannah dating in the first place, he can be the one to explain his terms.
"We have. And we are allowing you to go this date, with conditions."
"What are they?"
"The date has to be here, at the White House, where your mother and I can keep an eye on you two." Hannah bites her lip while contemplating her father's offer. She thought they would just shoot her down and not come up with rules for her date.
"Fair enough. I will invite him to the White House screening room after school today. Anything else?"
"Edward is to be with you at all times," Claire adds. She knows her daughter inherited her conniving personality. Claire wouldn't put it past Hannah to trick the secret service, so she can run off and spend some alone time with her date.
"Fine. He can hover anxiously outside. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes." Frank says for him and Claire. He trusts his daughter to adhere to their rules.
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you two," Hannah downs the rest of her milk and brushes a kiss to her mother and father's cheeks. Frank shakes his head as their daughter is exiting the residence.
"What?" Claire asks with amusement. Her husband has this dopey smile on his face she rarely sees.
"Hannah is your daughter, I hope you know that." Claire smirks while taking a sip of her coffee.
"Good." Frank knocks on the table twice and leaves his wife at the table.
Later on, that afternoon, Claire decides to drop by the Oval Office in between meetings to run something by Frank. Doug is in the office, but her husband is nowhere to be found.
"Doug, where's Francis?" Claire asks. She has a pretty good idea as to where he is at but wants to get confirmation. Doug looks up from his computer and looks around, not realizing his boss is gone.
"I think he said something about going to a meeting with the Leadership," Doug says. Claire frowns and crosses her arms. Her husband is ridiculous.
"Hannah has a date this afternoon, so I'm sure that is where he is," Claire informs her husband's chief of staff. Doug takes his glasses off and shrugs.
"I wouldn't know anything about that." Claire nods and leaves the Oval, heading across the White House to the screening room. Sure enough, she spots her husband talking to Meechum quietly outside.
"Francis," Claire scolds with her arms crossed. She closes the gap between them, pulling him aside.
"I told you I was going to check in on her," Frank says innocently.
"How long have you been here?"
"I just got here."
"And?" Claire asks. Frank reaches down to grab her arm, bringing her to the entrance to the screening room. Claire observes Hannah sitting next to her date, watching a movie. Frank swings his arm around her chest, bringing her closer to him. "What movie are they watching?"
"The Maltese Falcon," Frank tells her.
"Good choice."
Hannah can hear her parents talking outside and she rolls her eyes. She glances over her shoulder and sees her mother's distinctive silhouette in the doorway.
"I'll be right back," Hannah tells Preston. She stands up and maneuvers around him, going to where her parents are standing. "Seriously?"
Frank removes his arm from around Claire. He isn't apologizing for making sure their daughter is safe.
"I was on my way to a meeting and had some extra time. I thought I would see how things are going," Frank explains.
"You don't have extra time for anything, Daddy. And you?" Hannah asks Claire.
"I was looking for your father. You should go, you don't want to keep your date waiting." Hannah glares at her parents, but reluctantly goes back into the screening room.
"We should leave," Claire tells Frank, tugging on his hand. They have done their due diligence and it's time for Hannah to enjoy herself without her parents lurking. Frank follows Claire and they split up, heading into their separate meetings.
"We don't think you should run in 2016," Bob Birch, the Speaker of the House, says to Frank. Frank glances around at the other members of the Congressional Leadership who are all nodding in unison. He isn't surprised by this, it's not a secret his presidency isn't getting off to a great start. Frank just thought their announcement would come further down the line.
Outside his office, he can hear Claire and Doug's raised voices arguing with each other. Frank delays in answering the Leadership, wondering what is happening. His wife rarely yells at anyone, regardless of the situation.
"He's in an important meeting with the Congressional Leadership," Doug says to her.
"I don't care, Doug. I need to see my husband!" Claire bypasses him and opens the door, ignoring everyone staring at her.
"What's going on?" Frank asks. The heightened worry lines on Claire's face is a huge indicator something is terribly wrong.
"I need to talk to you privately, now." Claire isn't going to speak about their private family business in front of the Leadership, especially Jackie Sharp. They have a growing suspicion Jackie has been talking with reporters about the Underwood administration.
"Clear the room. We will reschedule this later," Frank says. He knows Claire wouldn't interrupt a meeting unless it's important. The Leadership disperses, leaving only Frank and Claire.
"What's wrong?" Frank asks Claire again.
"Meechum called me, he said he heard Hannah screaming in the screening room." Frank's fist clenches. He swings his blazer over his shoulders and grabs Claire's hand. They make a brisk walk to the screening room, ignoring curious looks from their staff. It's not everyday they see the president and first lady running through the White House.
When they get to the screening room, Meechum meets them at the door, Hannah and her date are nowhere to be found.
"What happened, Edward?" Claire asks. Meechum shakes his head and points inside the room where Hannah is audibly sobbing.
A/N 2: I hope you guys liked the first chapter. Next chapter, Frank and Claire learn what happened and Hannah discovers a secret about her parents. Reviews really help me write, so please leave one on your way out. Thanks for reading!